


The Winchester Charm

by LorelaiMcQueen



Series: The Winchester Charm [1]
Category: Charmed (TV 1998), Supernatural
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2020-12-13 17:29:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 126,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21001454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LorelaiMcQueen/pseuds/LorelaiMcQueen
Summary: Dean Winchester met Melinda Halliwell when he was just six years old. They had what seemed like a good romance until she up and disappeared on him. Now, when he's in need of healing, Sam drags him to San Francisco to confront his past. What he finds changes his life forever. Dean/Melinda. S1 SPN & post-S8 Charmed.





	1. Faith and Hope

The Winchester Charm: Season 1

A/N: We are now at Season 15…Who’s as not ready for the beginning of the end as I am? In fact, I was so completely not ready for it that I decided to re-watch SPN from the very beginning, binge watching it in a month. I managed it just in time for the S15 premiere, but it did give me a slew of ideas of an AU that will take us back to the beginning.

Just to say, I’ve got this planned out all the way until season 14. The chapters are outlined until season 6. This is my baby and I hope you will love this story as much I love writing it. Trust me, this is gonna get good. I’ve got SO many ideas for it.

This story begins in Season 1 of SPN, during the episode Faith. If you can remember, the boys were hunting a rawhead and Dean accidentally got himself electrocuted. He was near death and Sam took him to see a faith healer. We got to see Darla being a nice girl for once, we were introduced to reapers for the first time, we had a totally rocking BOC music moment and Dean was healed. For this story, Sam and Dean were thwarted from going to see the faith healer and had to find their last hope…Whitelighters.

As you can tell from this description, this is a crossover with Charmed. Charmed was originally set from 1998 to 2006 but the timeline for that has been moved up to 1970 to 1976. This massive series will include Dean/Melinda “Lynnie” Halliwell (Piper and Leo’s third child and only daughter) and Sam/Parker (Parker and Coop’s second daughter) – eventually. It’s not really OC characters if they exist in another fandom, right?

Also, just to note, I’ve got a massively huge idea for a story about J2 and the cast as this AU version of SPN continues on. It would go hand in hand, sort of like ‘what happens backstage’ sort of thing. I’m not sure when I’ll be posting it (tentatively, Christmas this year?) but that is my second baby, too. Hope you will like it when it’s up.

For now, just note that despite the fact that Danneel Ackles and Gen Padalecki have their own roles in SPN in real life, in this AU, they play Lynnie and Parker respectively. So whenever you read about Lynnie and Parker in The Winchester Charm, know that this is what they look and sound like.

Well, here we go. Hopefully SOME of you are gonna want to start right from the beginning with me as we journey into the final season of SPN in real life. Enjoy the first chapter. Hope it helps to soothe some of the heartbreak for this final ride.

Disclaimer: I don’t own anything Charmed or Supernatural related. I’m super heartbroken about that. This is just a fan retelling of a mashup she had a super vivid dream about.

******************************************************************************

Chapter 1: Faith and Hope

June 3RD, 1985  
San Francisco

John Winchester held his breath as he crept through the thick undergrowth. The Wendigo that he’d been tracking for the past week had led him here, to this park. Wendigos were, from what he’d learned, generally found in colder climates. He’d no idea how one managed to find itself in California but everything had checked out during the course of his investigation and now here he was, trekking through the woods and inching his way closer and closer to a damn Wendigo.

Thank God the boys were holed up safely at the motel ten miles away.

A rustle and a flash of movement made him swing to his left. He lifted the flamethrower a little higher, his grip tightening around it. He caught something moving on his right out of the corner of his eye and barely turned when he felt something large and heavy slam into his back. Grunting, John was thrown a few feet forward, pain blossoming in his back. He rolled on the ground and landed hard with his left shoulder against the bark of a tree. Ignoring the pain, he scrambled to his feet, eyes wildly looking around for the thing.

Wendigos were fast – the perfect hunter at night. He’d lost his flamethrower and in the dark of the night, he couldn’t see where it landed. His torch was still gripped in his other hand and he swung it around this way and that, trying to look for the flamethrower and any signs of the Wendigo at the same time.

He caught a flash of orange by a tree a few feet to his right and inched slowly towards it. If he could just get to that flamethrower…

A sudden roar and another swipe to his shoulder had him skidding backwards on his ass. Looking up, John was met face to face with his very first Wendigo. It was an ugly son of a bitch, nothing even remotely resembling the human it had once been. Its claws had caught on his shoulder and he was bleeding from the huge gashes it had left in his flesh. Hissing in pain, John held up his uninjured arm, shielding his face as the thing in front of him lifted another claw to end his life.

For a moment, the faces of his two little boys flashed before his eyes. His boys, who were waiting for him in a crappy motel room and who were never going to see him again. He knew they’d be okay – Dean had the number for Pastor Jim memorized and he knew his elder son, at six years old, knew the protocol that John had drilled into his head for the past two years. They would be alright.

But John would be missing out on their lives.

For the first time since he’d hit the road, John wondered if it was worth it.

A blinding flash of light made John cringe back. The creature roared again, this time in pain. John looked up just in time to see a tiny glass bottle thrown at the wendigo’s chest. It shattered on impact and the liquid inside immediately caught flames, along with the wendigo.

The wendigo let loose a pained scream as its entire body caught on fire. It staggered backwards, limbs flailing as it tried to shake the flames. It was useless, and it fell limp to the floor in a matter of seconds, nothing but a smoking husk left.

Breathing hard at his close call and the unbelievable sight of what just happened, John slowly dropped his arm, his eyes drifting from the dead Wendigo and towards the direction that little glass bottle had come from.

Two women stood before him. Both of them dark haired, beautiful and fiery. The one with the longer hair looked confused at his presence. The one with a heart shaped face rushed forward. He scrambled backwards in blind panic and, seeing his reaction, she stopped moving and held up her hands.

“Please,” she said quietly. “We’re here to help.”

“Help?” he squinted his eyes at her. There was a sticky liquid dripping down his face.

“Yes,” she replied, a small, reassuring smile on her lips. “You’re injured. Let’s get you patched up, okay?”

“Paige!” the other woman called out suddenly, causing John to jump. He looked at her with furrowed brows, gasping in shock when right next to her, a swirl of bright white and blue lights began to appear. When the orbs of light finally disappeared, a woman stood in its place. She had fairer skin than the other two women, but hair and eyes just as dark. Her lips were painted red and her face kind, but who the hell knew what these people were – if they were people at all.

“I was in the middle of grading papers, Piper” the newcomer stated, sounding frustrated. A smile appeared on her face. “Thanks for giving me an out.”

‘Piper’ rolled her eyes and jutted her chin in John’s direction. “A little help, please?” she said a little sharply. Paige saw him then and, eyes widening, rushed forward.

John painfully inched backwards, reaching into his inside pocket. His fingers grasped the handle of his trusty Beretta and he pulled it out swiftly, cocking it at the approaching woman. She halted immediately, hands going up just as the other as yet unnamed woman had.

“Whoa, buddy, trying to help you here,” Paige sounded irritated. “Let’s put the gun away.”

“Now it’s starting to make sense,” Piper shook her head.

“It is?” the woman he still didn’t know the name of yet asked, sounding more than a little sarcastic.

“Rough around the edges, grumpy looking, gun in his pocket and brings a flamethrower to a Wendigo showdown?” Piper threw her hands up. “Obviously, he’s a hunter.”

“Oh,” the other two women chorused, looking at him with wide eyes.

“Okay,” Paige turned back to John. “If you’re a hunter, then maybe you know Bobby Singer. He’s the Madonna of the hunting world, right?”

John paused, his gun lowering a quarter of an inch. “How do you know Bobby?” he asked, a note of warning in his gravelly voice.

“He’s a friend,” Paige said. John straightened his arm despite the pain, his gun back in position. “Okay. Don’t believe me? I’ll prove it.”

“How?”

The question had barely left his mouth when another swirl of lights appeared next to Paige. When the lights disappeared, Bobby Singer stood in its place.

He looked confused as hell, arms held out as though to steady himself. He was dressed as he always was, grungy jacket and baseball cap, unshaven beard and all. “What in the…?” he looked around, saw the three women and John half laying on the ground with his gun pointing at them and rolled his eyes skyward. “Balls.”

“Bobby,” Paige made crazy eyes towards Bobby. “A little help here.”

Bobby took note of John’s injuries and the still smoking husk of the wendigo. “Wendigo got you good, huh?” he asked John.

“Maybe,” John sniffed, his gun still pointing at the unknown women.

“Listen, John. This is Paige. Those are her sisters, Piper and Phoebe. They’re good people,” he gestured to the women.

John narrowed his eyes. “What are they, witches?” he asked. “cuz I know they ain’t human.”

“They are human,” Bobby retorted. “They’re…good witches.”

“There’s no such thing,” John growled.

“Oh, yeah, cuz you know so much about witches?” Bobby glared at him. “You listen to me, John Winchester. You’re dying. That wendigo got you good. Half your head’s bashed in. You’ve got your boys to think about, John. Let her get to you.”

“What’s she gonna do?” John asked Bobby, keeping his eyes and gun trained on Paige as she slowly inched forward.

“She’s gonna save your life.”

Before he knew it, Paige was crouching in front of him, one hand on his gun and slowly lowering it to the ground. “Don’t be scared, John Winchester,” she told him gently, her voice soothing as she reached her other hand out towards him. He watched, mystified and more than a little awed, as her hand began to glow. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

Her glowing hand hovered over him and he watched, jaw dropping lower by the second, as his injuries healed, skin sealing shut and leaving not the slightest hint of a scar behind. Her hand stopped glowing and she removed it from him, giving him a knowing look.

John patted himself down, hands smoothing down where, just seconds ago, his skin had been raw and open and bleeding. There was nothing there now except smooth skin and the sticky residue of blood.

“How…What…How?” he stammered, looking into those soulful brown eyes in astonishment.

Bobby exhaled loudly. “I think there’s a couple of stuff we need to let you in on about witches,” he told his friend. “And a little something called Whitelighters.”

Paige stood up, extending a hand towards John. “Well?” she prompted when he only stared at it. “Are you coming or not, John?”

Taking a glance at Bobby, who nodded his head encouragingly, John clasped Paige’s hand and let her pull him up. Before he knew what was what, he was surrounded by that same swirl of blue and white lights. He blinked against their almost harsh brightness and by the time they disappeared from view, he was in a place he had never seen before.

It looked like a house, light and airy and surrounded by furniture you might expect to find in someone’s grandmother’s house, grandfather clock and all.

“John Winchester, welcome to Halliwell Manor,” Phoebe smiled.

*************************************************************************************

January 6TH, 2006  
Colorado

Sam eyed Dean warily as his brother snored away on his bed. A small smile crept onto the younger Winchester’s face. In sleep, Dean almost looked peaceful. No stresses. No worries. If it weren’t for the sunken cheeks and the dark circles under his closed eyes, Sam could almost pretend that Dean was perfectly fine.

“Are you telling me that the faith healer is a hoax?” he whispered, phone pressed tightly to his ear as he tried not to wake Dean up.

He had only received the news of a rumored healer from Caleb two days ago, right before Dean had ‘broken out of’ the hospital. They had been shagging ass, trying to get to Nebraska as fast as they could. They were now in Colorado, ten hours away from their destination. Caleb had called just two minutes ago, dashing Sam’s hopes.

“Yeah, sorry buddy,” Caleb sounded the most apologetic Sam had ever heard him be. “Turns out to be a binding spell. They were using a grim reaper.”

“Grim reaper!?” Sam pinched the bridge of his nose to stave off the incoming migraine and rubbed his eyes tiredly. “Damn it.”

“Yeah. I handled the situation,” Caleb said gravely. “There’s nothing left here but a tent full of disappointed believers and a pastor who’s more than a little confused at his sudden lack of power.”

Sam sighed heavily. He waved off Caleb’s apology and hung up the call with the seasoned hunter. Even though he knew Caleb had done the right thing, he couldn’t help but feel just a tad resentful. Couldn’t Caleb have ‘handled the situation’ after Dean had been healed?

One life doesn’t matter more than another, Sam’s conscience tried to tell him.

It does when it’s your brother, his heart argued stubbornly.

A loud snort made Sam jump. His head whipped in Dean’s direction, but his brother only shifted slightly and continued snoring away. Sam stared at Dean for a long moment until his vision grew blurry. It was only when his cheeks grew wet that he realized he’d started crying.

He had spent his whole life with one constant in it – Dean.

Dad was never reliable. He was in and out so often that his role as a father was questionable at best. Dean had been the one to take care of Sam. He’d been the mother and father Sam had never been lucky enough to have. He made sure Sam had enough food in his belly, clothes to keep him warm, medicine when he was sick…He went to all of Sam’s school events – plays, science fairs, debates – even though he felt it was the stupidest thing in the world.

Now, after Jess…And dad being gone…Dean was all Sam had left in the world. He couldn’t lose his brother. He just couldn’t.

Sam had turned over every rock, looked in every book, called every hunter he knew whether they’d last ended in good terms or not…He’d turned blue in the face trying to reach his dad.

Nothing had worked. Nothing.

Caleb’s faith healer had been his last hope and now even that was gone.

There was just one last Hail Mary before Sam would lose the only thing he had left in the world – Whitelighters.

Whitelighters were such an integral part of the supernatural world. Healers…Angels, even…Guardians to white witches sworn to protect the innocent from supernatural evil. There were many of them, but they were well hidden, sometimes even to their charges.

Sam had met his first Whitelighter when he was just a kid.

Her name was Paige Matthews, and she had saved John Winchester’s life. Sam had been two years old at that point, so he didn’t remember that meeting, but dad’s involvement with the Halliwell witches had been one of the few good things Sam could remember of his childhood.

The Halliwells had three matriarchs who were, as far as he knew, still alive – Piper Halliwell, Phoebe Halliwell and Paige Matthews. They were three sisters and were considered the most powerful natural white witches in the world. They were called the Charmed Ones. Piper was married to an ex-Whitelighter by the name of Leo Wyatt. He gave up his grace and became human to be with Piper. His kindness and empathy made him just as angelic as any Whitelighter. Sam had looked up to him. Phoebe was married to a different kind of angel – a Cupid. And Paige had married a mortal cop by the name of Henry Mitchell.

By the time Sam had been born, the Charmed Ones had saved the world a hundred times over. Their battles against evil were legendary. Sam had grown up hearing all about it. Thanks to dad’s friendship with them, Sam and Dean had grown up around the Charmed Ones’ children.

Piper and Leo had three children – two boys named Wyatt and Chris and a little girl named Melinda. Phoebe and Coop had three girls they named PJ, Parker and Peyton. Paige and Mitchell were the unconventional ones – they’d had a pair of twin girls biologically, named Tamora and Kat, and had adopted a little boy they named Henry Jr.

All of the Charmed Ones’ kids had been older than Sam, with the exception of Peyton who was born the same year as him. Whenever he’d spent time at the Manor, he’d always hung out with the tom boy. He’d also, as a pre-teen, had the biggest crush on Parker. She was two years older than him and was more beautiful than any of the girls he’d ever seen.

Piper, Leo and their kids lived in a large Victorian manor in San Francisco. Apparently, it had been in the family since the early 1920s. It was home to a magical Nexus, a source of pure power that could be swayed either way, kept hidden and protected by the Charmed Ones. It also housed one of the few doorways to Magic School, a school where kids with special skills would go to learn to control themselves – and to learn how to use their skills to battle darkness.

Though Phoebe and Paige lived elsewhere with their husbands and kids, the manor was where they – and their magical children – mostly spent their time. It was also where demons came to die.

While Paige had been the first grown-up Whitelighter Sam had met, he didn’t specifically remember meeting her. After she and her sisters had saved dad from the wendigo he’d been hunting, she’d taken him to the Halliwell manor by orbing him there – a mode of transportation only Whitelighters possessed. Orbing basically meant that the Whitelighter – and whomever they were transporting with them – would be covered in orbs of blue and white lights before they disappeared and reappeared wherever they wanted to go to.

Sam had grown up with Peyton as his best friend and Parker as his unrequited crush.

Dean had grown up chasing Lynnie Halliwell, besotted with everything to do with her.

She had been the only person Sam had ever seen Dean want something more than a fling with. Even as a teenager, Dean had been a wild Casanova. But when it came to Lynnie, he would have laid down his life just for a day with her. It had been awe-inspiring…And completely terrifying…to watch.

Dean and Lynnie had had a huge fight way back in 2000. Sam had been seventeen years old, still hopelessly in love with Parker (something Peyton never failed to laugh at), but he’d remembered that fight like it was yesterday.

The truth was, it had been the best summer Sam had ever had in his whole life, even now. Dad had caught a solid lead on the thing that had killed their mother and he’d left Sam and Dean with the Halliwells in San Francisco. Sam had had the time of his life with Peyton. Sure, it had been a kick to the guts every time Parker went on a date with some guy, but Peyton was always there to make him laugh.

From what he knew, Dean and Lynnie had had a great time together too. They’d gotten together a few years before, always all over each other every time they saw each other.

With any other girl, Dean always had a wandering eye. With Lynnie, especially that summer, he had eyes for no one but her.

Sam knew that they’d spent the entire summer being as mushy as Dean could ever get, spending all their time together.

Sam also knew that when dad had called and barked orders for them to pack up all their things, Dean had argued against their father for the first time in his life. It had led to an ugly argument between father and son. Dad had won. Dean had gotten angry and gruff and, in his attempt to lessen the blow of having to leave so suddenly and possibly not seeing Lynnie again anytime soon, had started an argument with Lynnie in an effort to push her away. It had backfired on him and they’d parted ways after one of the worst fights they’d ever had.

Dean had been confident that he and Lynnie would patch things up but dad’s trip to their PO box in Kansas just a few weeks later had produced a Dear John letter for Dean…Lynnie had broken things off, revealing in the letter that she had fallen in love with someone else. Dean had been devastated. He might not have shown his emotions the way anyone else would have, but Sam had known.

He had grown careless and reckless. He’d hit on any pretty girl in sight, slept with any willing female and threw himself into the hunts he’d go on with dad. While dad had been thrilled that Dean was so invested in hunting at first, he’d gotten worried over his eldest’s increasingly reckless behavior. They’d gone for a drive in the Impala, just dad and Dean. Sam didn’t know what had been said during that drive but when they returned, Dean had been somewhat calmer. He didn’t go into every hunt with a death wish but he wasn’t any less heartbroken.

And, even after all this time, he was still a Casanova, never a romantic.

With Dean and Lynnie’s break-up came the Winchesters complete break from the Halliwells. Apparently, Dean and Lynnie hadn’t been the only ones who’d had a fallout. Dad had fallen out with the Charmed sisters too, and though neither Sam nor Dean had witnessed it, they knew just how it could be. Just the year before, Dad had had a falling out with Uncle Bobby and Sam hadn’t seen hide nor hair of the man since. Sam wasn’t allowed to get in contact with Peyton and Dean didn’t even want to get in contact with Lynnie, heartbroken and unwilling to deal with it. His falling out with the Charmed Ones was so bad that Dad had made it a rule to break ties with the Halliwells – a rule so unbreakable that Sam hadn’t even tried to do it during his Stanford years. They hadn’t been back to San Francisco since.

Sam had only obeyed dad’s orders because of Dean. Despite what his big brother might say, Sam knew that the break-up had shattered his heart. Dean wasn’t the kind to let his emotions get the better of him often. Twenty-six years of life and he knew Dean had fallen in love just that once. He wasn’t about to rip open that wound, not even when he was states apart from his brother.

But now…They had no choice.

Unbeknownst to Dean, Sam had been trying to get in touch with Paige Matthews for days – ever since the doctors broke the news about Dean’s limited time on earth. It would take nothing short of a miracle to save his brother, and Sam knew that a Whitelighter’s healing touch was just the miracle to do it.

Paige hadn’t answered, no matter how hard Sam had called for her.

Sam had even called for Lynnie – when they’d last seen each other, Lynnie had only just gotten a stronger hold on her Whitelighter powers. She had always been able to orb, ever since she was a baby apparently, but she hadn’t been able to hear charges calling for help until she was sixteen. It was a tough thing for her, never being able to turn off their voices calling out for help in her head. She had worked a lot with Paige to learn to control it.

Lynnie hadn’t answered his calls, either. That, he had expected.

Paige, Lynnie, Wyatt and Chris had all ignored his calls for help.

That left only one option – he had to take Dean to San Francisco.

The only problem was getting him there. Dean wasn’t one to turn away a job no matter how difficult it might be to handle it, but it went without saying that they would never take a job in San Francisco – or anywhere near it. It was an unspoken rule that even dad had adhered to. He thought that the closest Dean must have ever come to it was when he’d visited Sam at Stanford right before everything got screwed up.

He was going to have to trick Dean.

“Dean, come on, wake up,” Sam urged, shaking Dean gently.

He’d been puttering about the motel room, packing up all their things silently. Dean had been soundly asleep, not waking up once. All their things were now in the Impala, and the keys were burning hot in Sam’s palm. He would love to let Dean get a few more hours of sleep in, but they were racing against death – against time. They didn’t have the luxury to wait around.

Dean groaned and shifted in his sleep, but he refused to wake, swatting Sam’s hand away tiredly. Sam frowned and shook him again.

Dean groaned again as his eyes fluttered open, landing hazily on Sam. “Dude…what!?” he asked irritably, wiping sleep away from his eyes.

“I’ve got a new lead on a healer,” he said, heart racing against his chest.

“A new lead?” Dean asked, scowling. “What happened to the whack job Caleb found in Nebraska?”

“Turns out he was a hack,” Sam admitted reluctantly.

Dean snorted, shaking his head as he slowly swung his legs over the edge of the bed. “Yeah, big shocker,” he said sarcastically. “I’m telling you, man, this new healer of yours…He’s probably a hack, too.”

“Probably,” Sam lied. “But probably not.”

Dean stared at him, unimpressed. Sam sighed, shrugging his shoulders. “Dude…Would you just…Give it a shot? There’s literally nothing left for you to lose,” he reminded him.

“I could lose my dignity,” Dean snapped. “I could lose precious sleeping time. And I could lose my last chance to hit Vegas before I kick the bucket.”

His words had no heat to them, and he slowly moved to put on his jacket. Sam tried to help him and was weakly shoved away for his effort.

Once Dean was situated in the passenger’s seat, Sam started up the engine. He’d tried getting Dean to take the backseat so he could stretch out more comfortably but Dean had grumbled enough about being in the passenger’s seat as it was.

Luckily for Sam, Dean fell asleep the moment they hit the highway. He could only hope that Dean would stay knocked out until it was too late to turn back.

**********************************************************************************

January 7TH, 2006  
San Francisco

Dean had woken up several times during their journey to San Francisco. Sam had given him a vague explanation about the healer being located in San Fernando. They’d gotten some grub (though Dean hadn’t been able to hold down much) and Dean had always fallen back asleep the moment they were back in the Impala.

By the time Dean had woken up again, they were already on the Golden Gate Bridge.

The moment he saw the historic landmark looming in front of them, Dean already knew what Sam’s plan was.

Without preamble, he turned to glare at his brother. Ignoring the innocent puppy dog look Sam was sporting, he growled out one word, “No.”

“Dean,” Sam tried to reason.

“No,” Dean insisted. “Turn this damn car around, Sammy. I’m not kidding.”

“I’m not going to do that, Dean,” Sam was just as Winchester-stubborn as Dean. “You might be okay with throwing your life away over a bad break-up, but I’m not gonna let you.”

“Sam, I swear to God,” Dean shook his head, unable to believe the situation he was in. “This is the last thing we should be doing right now, okay?”

“What, finding a way to save your life?” Sam scoffed. “She can heal you, Dean. She can heal the damage to your heart in seconds.”

“I will kick your scrawny ass from here to Sunday if you don’t turn this car around right now,” Dean threatened.

Sam laughed darkly. “Go ahead, Dean, I dare you,” he challenged. Dean glared at him but made no move to unwind his arms from around his shivering body. “Yeah, I thought so.”

Sam sighed, shaking his head. “Look, Dean…You’ve got just a few short weeks left, okay? At best. Now, I don’t know what the hell happened between you and Lynnie but she and her family…They’re the only shot we’ve got left,” Sam pleaded. “Come on, man…You can’t give up now. You kick the bucket and all I’ll have left is dad. You know we’ll end up killing each other without you there.”

Dean managed a weak grin.

“Look, she’s not gonna wanna save me, Sammy,” Dean tried to reason.

“She’s a Whitelighter and a White witch,” Sam argued. “Everything about her is about saving innocent lives. She won’t be able to say no.”

“Yeah?” Dean challenged. “Then why are we going all the way to San Francisco, huh? We’re wasting precious hours driving up here. Why didn’t you just call for her, huh?”

Sam’s silence proved what he’d suspected – and broke his heart all at the same time.

“You called for her and she didn’t come, right?” Dean guessed correctly.

“She would have if she knew you were dying,” Sam stated resolutely.

“You don’t know that.”

“Yes, I do!” Sam shouted, throwing his head back in frustration. “Look, Dean…If you don’t wanna see her…We can just go to the manor.”

Dean snuck a peek at his brother. “Why?” he questioned.

“I looked her up,” Sam admitted. “She’s got her own apartment. She’s not living at home anymore. We can go to the manor…And we’ll ask Piper to call for Paige, Wyatt or Chris.”

Dean kept silent for a long while, thinking this over.

It would be humiliating to come crawling to his ex-girlfriend’s family and begged to be saved. Did they all know how she’d dumped his sorry ass? Did they see how fast she moved on after they’d left San Francisco? Did they think the guy she’d picked over him was a better choice for her than a hunter constantly on the road with nothing but a car to call a home?

On the other hand…Just the mention of Whitelighters…It sparked a hope in him. He didn’t want to die. He didn’t want to leave Sammy and dad behind. They needed him here, alive, to fight the good fight with them. They hadn’t even found the thing that killed mom yet. And with everything that’s been happening with Sam…It feels like something big is about to drop and change their lives forever.

He couldn’t die now, not when Sammy needed him the most.

Whitelighters…They were paragons of good. He wasn’t so sure he believed in real honest-to-God angels like the ones in the Bible, but Whitelighters were as close as they were going to get. They were healers. Sam was right. It would be against their nature to turn their backs on an innocent in need.

Dean was far from an innocent, but he hoped he was good enough for them to save his life.

“Fine,” he agreed on a resigned sigh. “We go straight to the manor.”

Sam let out a relieved laugh, and Dean pretended not to notice the tears shining in his brother’s eyes. “Okay, straight to the manor,” he agreed easily.

They were halfway to the all-too-familiar Victorian house when Sam’s phone began to ring shrilly, interrupting the BOC music blaring from the speakers.

Sam frowned as he reached for the phone. The number wasn’t one he recognized but that wasn’t saying much. He would’ve ignored it but it could be dad calling back after the hundreds of voicemail messages he’d left for him.

He flipped open the phone and answered the call.

“Hello?”

“Samuel Winchester, you’ve got a lotta nerve,” came the one voice he’d never forget.

Sam blinked, dazed. Just the sound of her voice, after all this time, made his heart start racing. “Parker?” he asked, sounding just a tad love-struck. He cleared his throat, blushing, and tried again. “Parker Halliwell?”

“Well, duh, dummy,” she giggled. “I don’t know what you’re up to, but the manor isn’t where you should be headed.”

Sam snuck a look at Dean, who was staring at him, confused. “Look, Parker…Dean’s in trouble,” he pleaded. “We need help…”

“Oh, I know,” Parker replied. “But why you thought coming to us after all this time was a good idea…I’ll never know.”

“You’re the only ones who can help,” Sam told her. “Parker, please.”

Parker sighed. “Fine,” she relented. “I guess you must’ve known that we can’t, in good conscience, turn away an innocent. But go to the Manor and Chris will blow Dean up before he can get in a word.”

Sam’s brows furrowed together. “Huh?”

“I’m gonna text you an address,” Parker went on, ignoring his less-than-stellar response. “Go there instead.”

She hung up before he could get another word in. His phone vibrated a second later with a different address in San Francisco.

He didn’t know what the hell Parker was on about. As far as he knew, Dean hadn’t done anything to warrant the Halliwells’ wrath. Had he said something awful to Lynnie when they had their fight? Was that why she had sent him that ‘Dear John’ letter two weeks later, saying she was done with them and had found someone else? Why would her brother still be holding a grudge for a bad breakup his sister had five years ago?

He didn’t have the time or energy to contemplate these things. None of it was important.

Without preamble, he tossed the phone aside and swerved sharply, turning the car around to head in the opposite direction. Dean grunted as he was carelessly thrown into his passenger’s side door.

“Geez, warn a guy, huh?” he complained, glaring. “What was that all about?”

“That was Parker,” Sam said, eyes straight forward as he drove. “We’re five minutes away from her.”

Dean shook his head. “I don’t want to see her, Sam,” he said, and Sam knew he wasn’t talking about Parker.

“Tough,” was Sam’s only reply. They were pulling up in front of a 1920s style apartment complex. “We’re here.”

Dean stood stoically in his seat, staring at Sam stubbornly. Sam grit his teeth.

“The hard way it is,” Sam threw his hands up.

*************************************************************************************

They were on the 15th floor of the building, standing outside of apartment 1520.

“I can’t believe you wrestled me up here,” Dean said, breathless and more than a tad dizzy.

Sam, not even the slightest bit winded, barely spared him a glance. “I wouldn’t have had to if you weren’t being such a baby about it,” he snapped back. He had just lifted his arm to press the bell when the door swung open. His breath caught in his throat and his cheeks flamed at the sight of her.

Parker Halliwell, all dark hair and pretty brown eyes, stood in front of him, almost a whole foot shorter than him. She had on an almost shy smile, looking uncertainly at both Winchesters.

“Well, boys,” she said, cocking her hip against the partially opened door. “It’s been a while.”

“Parker,” Sam greeted her, his voice coming out a little higher than usual. Dean choked on a snort of laughter. Shooting his brother a glare, Sam cleared his throat. “Could we, uh, could we come in?”

She eyed the two of them warily for a second, her gaze lingering on Dean. Taking in his disheveled state and feeling his pain, she let them through with a sigh. As he passed through the door, Sam felt a tiny warm jolt that he recognized immediately – the apartment was warded with pyrite crystals, meant to keep out evil and only let the good in.

“Pyrite crystals?” he asked for good measure.

Parker shot him a sly grin. “Well, of course. I’m an independent woman, not insane. It’s a crazy world we live in,” she shrugged. “Look at how big you’ve gotten, Sammy,” Parker pulled him in for a hug the moment the door was closed. “Not so scrawny anymore, huh?”

He laughed awkwardly, stuffing his hands into his coat pockets and shrugging slightly. “Uh, not really, I guess,” he said, trying to tamp down the blush creeping up his cheeks.

“Come on, let’s have a seat,” she said. “I have a feeling we’re gonna need a drink for this but it’s way too early for that so I’ll make some coffee.”

Parker led them through to the living room where she waved at the couch for them to sit and strolled over to the open kitchen just a few steps behind her to where a kettle was whistling. 

Sam took in the apartment with a quick sweep of his eyes. It was homey and cozy, filled with little trinkets like a tiny figurine of dancing dolphins and pictures of Parker and Lynnie with their families. Their furniture and décor was a mish-mash of style, but had a distinctly retro feel to it. It had that same homey feeling the Manor always had when he was a kid, and he wondered if it was a Halliwell trait they brought everywhere they called home. It must be nice, he thought with a pang, feeling a shot of resentment for motel rooms.

Parker made them both cups of coffee, surprising Sam as she remembered just the way he liked it. Dean gave him a smirk when Parker’s back was turned – he’d always teased Sam about his unrequited crush on the older girl. Sam’s blush intensified under Dean’s knowing stare. When his older brother’s smirk gave way to a pained grimace not a second later, Sam allowed himself just a smidgen of satisfaction.

“What landed you in this trouble, then?” Parker asked, settling cross-legged into the armchair opposite the couch the brothers were sitting on, folding her legs and blowing on a steaming mug of chamomile tea as she eyed them curiously.

“We went after a rawhead,” Sam told her. “Dean got electrocuted.”

“Sam,” Dean was shaking his head, a warning tone in his voice.

Sam ignored him, noting the way Parker’s brows furrowed together as her eyes flickered between the two of them. “The doctors say his heart’s been damaged – way too damaged. He’s got a few weeks, at most,” he told Parker, a note of pleading in his voice.

Parked nodded in understanding. “I’m guessing that’s why you’re here, in search of some Whitelighters,” she shook her head.

“They’re our last hope,” Sam said, his voice shaking a little. “They’re my last hope.”

“Well, you’re right,” Parker said with a tiny smile playing on the edge of her lips. “They’ll heal your brother – right before they beat him senseless.”

Both the Winchester brothers stared at her, dumbfounded.

“What?” Sam finally managed. “Why?”

Parker gave him a look that said she thought he was an idiot for even asking that. “Are you kidding me? After what Dean did?” she laughed mirthlessly.

“After what I did!?” Dean asked, confused as hell. “She’s the one who dumped me for some guy!”

Now it was Parker’s turn to stare. “What the hell are you talking about?” she retorted. “You broke her heart, you son of a bitch!”

“Me!?”

Sam, head spinning, held up his hands. “Look, none of this makes any sort of sense, but can we argue about who broke whose heart after my brother’s been healed!?”

“Shut up, Sammy!” both Parker and Dean snapped at him.

Sam sat a little straighter, sending them both stern looks. “It’s Sam,” he reminded them firmly.

This drew a chuckle from Parker. “Look at you, puppy dog eyes,” she teased. “You’ll always be little Sammy to me, no matter how tall you’ve grown.”

Sam gave her an ‘are you kidding me?’ look.

“Look, I’ll give a call to Wyatt,” Parker relented. “We’re White witches, we can’t leave an innocent to die. You knew that. He’s the more level-headed one – he’ll heal you and leave you untouched. But the moment you’re healthy again, you leave this city in your rearview mirror and you never look back.”

She leaned forward a little and looked Dean right in the eye. “I’ll be damned if I let you hurt her a second time, Winchester,” she told him, a steel edge in her voice that could’ve cut through the strongest bravado.

Bewildered, he gave her a slightly wounded look. “She’s the one who broke up with me,” he reminded her, unable to help feeling a tiny bit betrayed. After all, he’d once spent nearly every damn summer with the Halliwells. Even if he and Lynnie weren’t together anymore, he would have thought that his friendships with the others could’ve remained. “Why you’re treating me like I’m the damn devil, I’ve no idea, lady.”

Parker paused, blinking. “What?”

“What ‘what’?”

She shook her head. “She didn’t break up with you – you broke up with her,” she said, as though reminding him.

“Yeah, I think I remember what happened better than you did,” he said sarcastically. “Dear John letter and all.”

“Huh?” she furrowed her brow. “Wait – you were the one who said you didn’t want anything to do with her after…” Parker trailed off, slowly unfolding her legs as she stared at Dean. His confusion was coming across to her loud and clear. Narrowing her eyes, she amped up her empathy, feeling it wrap around the older Winchester brother. It seeped through his pores and came right back at her until she could taste his hurt and confusion on her tongue.

“You really have no idea what I’m talking about, don’t you?” she murmured, bewildered. At his blank expression, she pressed on, “What do you remember about the big break-up?”

Sam, impatient, interrupted, “What does this even matter right now? Can’t we heal him first?”

“He’s not gonna drop dead in front of you, Sammy,” Parker hushed him. At his look, she reminded gently, “Psychic, remember?”

“Now, Dean, I asked you a question,” she turned back to the elder brother. “The break-up. What happened? And trust me when I say this is more important than you can possibly imagine.”

Dean took in a shuddering breath, feeling his ribs hurt just by breathing. He’d like to think that it had nothing to do with thinking about Lynnie and everything to do with his injuries, but there was a reason he’d avoided even thinking about her for the past five years. She’d been the only girl he’d ever given a damn about.

“I don’t know,” he confessed.

“Dean,” Parker admonished.

“I don’t know, okay!?” he growled out, frustrated. “One day we’re talking about gettin’ married someday. The next day we’re fighting about God knows what and next thing I know, she’s stopped answering my calls…She sends me a Dear John letter…I haven’t seen a Whitelighter or a White witch since.”

Parker, feeling the truth in his words, shook her head slowly. “That doesn’t make any sense,” she murmured, almost to herself. “Lynnie never sent any break-up letter.”

“Hey, I’ve got the proof right here, sister,” Dean said, patting his jacket right above his heart. Sam furrowed his brows together, catching the action.

Parker, missing what Sam had caught, continued on, “You’re the one who sent her a breakup letter – which was a real douche move, by the way!”

“What!?” Dean shakily got to his feet. “I never wrote any damn break-up letters. She cut me off! Didn’t take any of my calls, never answered any of my non-break-up letters, thank you very much…Just up and disappeared on me!”

“Disappeared on you!? You knew her address! You could’ve come any time, Dean, but you’re the one who never stays in the same town for longer than a couple of weeks,” she stood up as well, standing toe to toe with him. “Do you know how hard she looked for you? How hard we all looked for you? You’re the one who ghosted her!”

“What?” Dean looked at her as though she’s lost it. Sensing his genuine emotions, Parker stopped getting defensive on behalf of her favorite cousin and stared back at him.

“Something isn’t right here,” she said. Thinking over everything that Dean Winchester had just told her, she looked at him with narrowed eyes. “You said you had proof that she wrote you a break-up letter?”

Reluctantly, and feeling more than a little regret that he’d shared that, Dean nodded.

“Could I see it?”

“No!” Dean put his walls up quickly. “I don’t have it anymore.”

Parker tilted her head to the side. “Lying to an empath is just wasting precious time, Dean,” she tapped her foot impatiently.

Rolling his eyes and shooting his brother a death glare that he hoped conveyed his eternal aggravation at being forced back in San Francisco for what seemed like a Dr Phil episode of the worst break-up in history, Dean reached into his coat’s inside pocket and pulled out a slightly crumpled envelope.

Sam watched in utter wonderment as Parker took the envelope from Dean and pulled out a slightly yellowing piece of paper. It was a little crinkled and it was obvious it had been folded and unfolded many times. Sam shot his brother a quick look. He’d no idea Dean had kept around that letter for so long – and with him, at all times? Apparently, there was a reason Dean didn’t go around having relationships with girls. If he fell, he fell for good.

Parker shook her head, eyes quickly roving over the words written in the letter. “This…Dean,” her wide brown eyes lifted off the letter in her hands and looked straight at him, looking utterly bewildered. “Lynnie didn’t write this.”

*************************************************************************************

Lynnie Halliwell was having the worst week of her life.

She was barely getting over a flu, she’d hadn’t slept in at least a day thanks to having to work a thirty hour shift at the hospital, Chris had gone all neurotic Whitelighter on her ass and kept pulling her out for Power of Three vanquishes (her fellow nurses were now advising her on bladder control since she kept using ‘bathroom emergency’ as an excuse) and she hadn’t even gotten the chance to see the rest of her family for the past few days.

Wrapping her coat tighter around herself, Lynnie flicked her eyes outside the window of the cab she’d taken. They were probably ten minutes away from her apartment. She would’ve driven home – her car was still in the hospital parking lot – but she was groggy. She didn’t want to risk getting behind the wheel.

Feeling her phone vibrate in her bag, she pulled it out to see a text message from her cousin and roommate, Parker.

Are you on your way back home?

Yes. Should be there in 15. Did you need me to pick up something on my way?

Nope. See you soon.

Lynnie’s eyebrow furrowed together. That was a weird exchange – especially from a powerful psychic like Parker.

The cab was pulling up in front of her apartment building before she knew it and she paid the cabbie with one eye trained suspiciously on Parker, standing on the steps of the building, bundled up from head to toe. She was bouncing on the spot, rubbing her gloved hands together to ward off the chilly weather. Lynnie thanked the cabbie and stepped out onto the pavement, hurrying towards Parker.

“What on earth are you doing out here?” Lynnie asked her as she drew nearer.

“Can’t a girl just…greet her favorite cousin at the door when she comes home from work?” Parker grinned, an almost guilty look on her face.

Lynnie narrowed her eyes at her. “Sure…I might actually buy that if you’d ever done that in the three years we’ve been living together,” she said dryly, noticing that Parker seemed to be dancing around her, blocking her way up the stairs. “Could we cut the crap, please? What’s going on?”

Parker opened her mouth and Lynnie could just see the lie forming quick as a whip behind those crazy eyes. She held up a hand. “The truth, please. I haven’t slept for longer than twenty minute naps for an entire day,” she reminded Parker, a little irritable as she side-stepped the younger woman.

She made it two whole steps up the stairs before Parker had rushed in front of her once more.

“Okay,” Parker said, holding her in place by her arms. “I need to tell you something. And, God, this could not have happened at a worse timing, but it’s happened and-and we just have to deal with it.”

“Parker,” Lynnie interrupted her rambling. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Parker took in a deep breath. “Dean is upstairs,” she broke the news, watching as confusion flitted on Lynnie’s face.

“Dean?” Lynnie asked, bewildered. “Dean who?”

Seeing the grimace and the expectant look on Parker’s face, Lynnie felt her jaw go slack. Her eyes widened in shock. “My Dean?”

“Yep, got it in one,” Parker winced. “Look…I know there’s a lot of history there, and good God, there’s a misunderstanding in there somewhere that I just can’t make sense of yet, but you have to put it all aside for now, Lynnie.”

Lynnie blinked at her owlishly. “What…What the hell are you talking about?” she asked, her voice sounding shaky even to her own ears.

“Dean’s hurt, Lynnie,” Parker told her. “He’s dying.”

At Parker’s words, Lynnie’s heart started to race. Whatever she’d felt for Dean regarding their abrupt break-up years ago, whatever she’d felt at the news that he was back…Everything took second place at this new development.

She practically rushed up the stairs then and this time Parker didn’t stop her. Biting her lip and watching Lynnie with worried eyes, Parker followed her at a brisk pace. The elevator ride was painfully awkward. Lynnie kept her eyes locked on the numbers rising, waiting for them to reach the 15th floor. She wanted to say something, to tell Lynnie what she had discovered about Dean’s truth so far, but the words wouldn’t come. None of it made sense. Yet.

Lynnie almost sprinted out of the elevator once the doors swung open. In front of apartment 1520, she grasped her keys in her hand and froze.

Parker watched her for a moment before stepping forward. “Come on, honey,” she said gently, encouragingly. “He needs you.”

The first time that Dean Winchester and Lynnie Halliwell saw each other again after five years of radio silence was not half as dramatic as either imagined and entirely too emotional all at the same time.

He was hunched on the couch, paler than he’d been before his brother had dragged him to Lynnie’s front door, and he’d broken out in cold sweat. His fever was back, and his head felt like it might burst, but the sight of her caused his damaged heart to race anyway. It hurt, feeling his heart beating furiously against his chest. She was beautiful – more so than he remembered. Last time he’d seen her, they’d both barely turned legal. She was still in college, her body clinging onto the last vestiges of childhood. Now, she was all woman. Where she had been scrawnier before, she’d filled out in all the right places. Her hair had been dyed a vibrant red color – and, God, it was hot. Her eyes, sweet innocent brown, stared at him, wide and shocked and confused and swimming with emotion.

“Lynnie,” he said, his voice gravelly. He tried to stand and shook with the effort. Sam, seeing his struggle not to fall over where he stood, quickly shot up and grasped Dean gently by the arms.

Parker stepped forward, gently nudging Lynnie past the doorway to their apartment. “Okay, tension filled stares later, healing now,” she urged.

This seemed to snap Lynnie out of her stupor.

Dropping her things at her feet, she rushed forward towards the man she’d been having dreams about since she was thirteen years old. Taking hold of him by the elbows, she helped Sam urge Dean into sitting back down. Touching him, even through the layers he wore, was electric. Her eyes flickered up to meet his.

“Dean,” she murmured quietly. “It’s okay. Just…Just sit back.”

He watched with a quiet fascination as she lifted her hands, one going directly above his heart. His heart started racing even faster and he wondered if she could feel his heart beating against her hand. How could she not? His heart was practically ripping itself from his chest. Her hand began to glow, the warmth seeping through from her palm and fingertips straight through his clothes and into his skin.

He could feel the strength coming back to him. His heart, erratic beat and all, grew stronger and his body stopped shivering. Judging from the look on Sammy’s face, he was starting to look better too.

By the time she removed her hand from his heart, he felt just as he had before they’d gone headfirst into a fight with a rawhead. Hell, he was even kind of hungry – what he wouldn’t do for a cheeseburger and a slice of pie right now…

Lynnie looked at him with those big eyes of hers. “Better?” she asked, a small smile on her face.

Dean blinked at her, a shy smile of his own threatening to break out on his face. God, just being around this woman was turning him back into a teenager, falling in love for the first (the only) time. “Yeah,” he replied. “Thanks.”

“Sure,” Lynnie stood up from her seat next to him and walked a couple of steps away. She shrugged off her coat and puttered around the living room, putting her things away in its proper places. Dean could see, though, that she just wanted to put some distance between them.

Just like that, that bubble created by that awe and gratitude that his life was no longer hanging in the balance evaporated. Just being close to him was giving her the heebie-jeebies? That hurt. He might not have been the world’s greatest boyfriend and they may not have been the perfect couple, but he’d thought they’d been good together.

This sucked.

“Um…Yeah, so now that no one’s life is in imminent danger,” Parker interjected, sensing Lynnie’s awkwardness and Dean’s hurt rolling over her in waves. “Maybe we should talk about the elephant in the room.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Lynnie said immediately, her back to Dean as she hung up her coat and rummaged through her bag to pull out her phone. “He came to be healed. He’s healed. We can all… Forget today ever happened.”

Dean stood up, a frown forming on his lips. “So that’s it?” he demanded, his tone sounding angrier than he intended to mask his hurt. “Wham, bam, thank you, mam?”

Lynnie shrugged. “From what I hear thanks to the hunters coming through P3, that’s how you like it, Dean,” she couldn’t resist throwing that at him, still unable to look at him. If she did, she knew that those bottle green eyes would draw her back in, no hesitation. She wasn’t ready for yet another heartbreak, courtesy of Dean Friggin’ Winchester.

Growling a little, Dean stalked forward, wrapping a hand around her arm and tugging gently until she was face to face with him. “We haven’t seen each other – hell, we haven’t even heard from each other in five years and this is how you wanna play it?” he asked, eyes blazing and voice getting louder despite his restraint. “Really!?”

Lynnie glared back at him, yanking her arm out of his grasp as though it scorched her to be touched by him. “What do you want from me, Dean!?” she asked, almost-yelling right back at him.

“The truth!” he snapped back, feeling just a smidgen of smugness when her face contorted in confusion. “That would be a nice break – for once.”

Lynnie’s eyes darted towards Parker, a slight panic in them.

Getting the sense that these two would just ride in circles around each other, yelling themselves hoarse and not actually get to the point, if no one stepped in, Parker snatched the letter Dean had shown her earlier off the table.

“Here, Lynnie,” Parker said, an oddly chipper sound to her voice. “Dean told me all about this break-up letter you sent him five years ago.”

Lynnie’s head drew back and she reached out with slightly shaking hands. “What? I never…” her eyes widened as they read the words written in front of her. Her mouth dropped open, disbelief and confusion warring inside of her. Lifting her gaze to Dean, standing there expectantly as though she’d have the answer to this particular mystery, she shook her head. “I never,” she repeated. “I didn’t send you this letter, Dean. I would never have.”

He shook his head, starting to pace a little. “That doesn’t make a lick of sense,” he told her.

She shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you, Dean,” she said.

“I tried calling you,” he told her. “After I got this letter. All of your numbers were changed.”

Lynnie and Parker shared a look over Dean’s shoulder. “I don’t think anyone in this family has had a number change in the last decade,” Parker said, confirming Lynnie’s thoughts.

“I tried calling you,” Lynnie told Dean, getting less defensive now in the face of a plot twist that seemed genuinely confusing for him. “Every single number you, Sam, John and Uncle Bobby had. None of you had any working numbers.”

Dean threw a look at Sam, expecting to see the same bewilderment on his little brother’s face. Sam, however, looked like something was dawning on him, a realization that he wasn’t quite ready to share with the class.

“I tried calling for you, too,” Dean admitted to Lynnie. “You, Wyatt, Chris…Any Whitelighter or Cupid I could think of. None of you came.”

“We never heard you,” Lynnie frowned. “Not once. At least, I never did. I’m pretty sure my family would have told me if they’d heard you. We tried scrying for you, but it was like…You vanished into thin air. If it weren’t for the stories hunters share at P3, I honestly would have thought you three had…”

She swallowed, leaving the rest unsaid.

Dean clenched his jaw, his mind racing and hope just beginning to swell in his chest. If she hadn’t written that letter, then there hadn’t been some guy. If she’d looked for him – even scryed for him – then she had wanted him around.

But…Why was that letter sent? Why was all communication cut off? How? And by whom?

“What the hell is going on here?” Dean growled out, frustration turning the unanswered questions into migraines.

Parker huffed out a breath. “Mysteries aside,” she looked pointedly at Lynnie. “I think there’s something that Dean should know?”

Lynnie looked taken aback for a moment.

“Seeing as how he didn’t know before?” Parker continued to prompt. “And didn’t make the decision not to know?”

Dean looked at her like she’d gone insane. “What the hell are you talking about?” he demanded.

Parker’s pointed gaze never left Lynnie.

Lynnie sighed, running a hand through her hair and feeling exhaustion start to creep in, sharper than before. “I…I guess we should talk,” she told Dean. “There’s, uh, there’s something important you need to know.”

Parker beamed, like she’d accomplished something great, and turned to Sam. “I feel like we’ve been neglecting you,” she said suddenly, curling her fingers around his wrist and tugging him towards the kitchen. “Let’s have a seat in the kitchen and catch up.”

“Uh…okay?” Sam looked half thrilled and half terrified as he allowed the tiny brunette to pull him all the way to the open kitchen on the other side of the room. He threw a half-panicked look at his brother over his shoulder but the intense look on Lynnie’s face was making it impossible for Dean to enjoy Sam’s torment at the moment.

Lynnie cleared her throat, her eyes sweeping the room distractedly for a moment before she rested them on Dean. “Let’s, uh…” she gestured to the couch.

Dean inhaled deeply, following her lead and sinking back down on that comfortable couch of hers. She was fidgeting – fingers pulling at an invisible thread on her jeans and foot tapping slightly against the floor. She kept tucking and untucking the same strand of hair behind her ear. Five years apart and he could still remember all of her nervous tells.

“Lynnie,” he said, pulling her attention. “What’s going on?”

She managed a weak smile. “So…five years ago, after that fight we had,” she reminded him, as though every word, every minute detail of that day wasn’t etched onto his memory. “I, uh, I had this scare. This demon…”

“Are you okay?” he asked immediately, concern lacing his tone. She smiled, relaxing a little.

“I’m fine,” she reassured him. “It was just a head bump and Wyatt healed me, but you know how it is. He never jokes when it comes to head injuries.”

Dean nodded, remembering the eldest Halliwell sibling well. He was as cautious as Dean was reckless.

“This is what you had to tell me?” Dean asked, bewildered. “An old injury that wasn’t even an injury?”

She laughed nervously. “No, uh, they…They did some tests at the hospital when Wyatt brought me in,” she rubbed her wrist.

Of course. Of friggin’ course. He lost the girl of his dreams, get reunited with her half a decade later and, what, she tells him she’s got a year to live? Because when has his life ever gone well?

“They found something,” Dean stated more than asked, his voice quivering at the thought.

“In a manner of speaking,” Lynnie peeked at him through her thick lashes. “Dean…I was pregnant.”

*************************************************************************************

“You sure we should leave them alone in there?” Sam asked, sipping on the new cup of coffee Parker offered to him.

“Yeah – trust me, this revelation should be a private moment,” Parker told him with a grin.

Sam frowned, confused, and she laughed, shaking her head. “Oh, honestly, Sammy,” she said with a teasing grin. “For a hunter, you’re kind of oblivious to the clues.”

She gave a tiny jerk of her head towards his left and he turned, his eyes catching the sight of a beautiful antique fireplace. Above the mantel were a collection of picture frames. Some were of Parker and Lynnie with their parents and siblings. Two were of Parker and Lynnie together – they were as close as sisters, closer than Parker was with her own sisters.

The one constant in almost all of them was a kid he had never seen before.

Noticing something about the kid, Sam abandoned his coffee on the kitchen island and made his way over to the mantel. He picked up the frame of a picture of Parker, Lynnie and the kid. She was in the middle, long brown hair a lighter shade than that of the two others. Her eyes were not a Halliwell-brown but a shade of green Sam had seen on only one other person in his life. His breath coming out in a shocked gasp, he gripped the frame tighter so he wouldn’t drop it by accident, and swiveled around to look at Parker.

She gave him a knowing grin over the rim of her ridiculously huge teacup, sipping at her chamomile like he hadn’t just had a massive realization.

“Dean has a kid!?”

Back in the living room, Lynnie was taking out a memory box from the shelves where she kept the photo albums. She brought it back to the couch, where Dean had turned into a statue from the moment “I was pregnant. You’re the father,” had left her mouth.

“This is…” she placed the box on her lap and opened the lid. “A few little things I kept from the pregnancy. Uh…Lots of sentimental crap, to be honest.”

Dean watched with wide eyes as she set aside black and white grainy photos of what looked like an alien in water. He’d seen enough episodes of Dr Sexy to know what they were. Her sonograms.

Oh God.

Her sonograms.

She was digging in the box, and he caught sight of a pregnancy stick in there at some point. He was dizzier than he’d been half-dead with a damaged heart to boot. With shaking hands, he reached for the sonogram pictures. He couldn’t tell anything from it – just a shot of an alien creature – but it was beautiful. He traced a finger over what looked to be the baby’s head.

Lynnie looked up when he let out a shaky breath. She gave him a tiny smile as she noticed where his attention had gone to.

“Those were her first pictures,” she said softly.

“I’m sorry,” Dean blurted out, forcing himself to tear his eyes away from the sonogram pictures to look at Lynnie. “I should have been there.”

She nodded. “Yes, you should have,” she agreed softly, a direct stab to his heart. “But you didn’t know. It wasn’t your fault, Dean.” She laid a hand on his arm, a comforting weight he never thought he’d have again. His eyes fluttered close for a moment, feeling that warmth through the layers he was wearing.

Lynnie took out another picture from the memory box, smiling at it fondly before showing it to Dean. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes as he took in that moment in history, forever frozen in a photo. Lynnie, tired but glowing with happiness, looking like she was barely legal, nightgown soaked in sweat as she cradled a precious newborn cargo. She was grinning like a lunatic, her cheeks wet with tears. The baby was wrapped in a mint green blanket, sweet little face barely visible.

“What’s her name?” he asked, his voice shaking with emotion.

Lynnie swallowed hard to tamp down that lump she could feel rising in her throat. Watching this, watching Dean find out about their kid…God, she must have imagined them seeing each other again a million times before but this was just nuts. She had allowed herself this fantasy, way back when she was still pregnant, of Dean coming to her doorstep one night and telling her that it had all been a big mix-up, that he hadn’t known about the baby until then and he’d rushed to her the moment that he had.

Over the years, she’d had to force herself to never think of that fantasy again. If she did, she’d never survive it.

But now, here they were. Fantasy brought to life.

“Her name is Warren,” Lynnie said, watching with wet eyes as Dean took in a shaky breath at the knowledge of his daughter’s name.

“Warren,” he repeated on a whisper. Clearing his throat and blinking back unwanted tears, he huffed out a small laugh, “You were hell bent on it being a boy, huh?”

Lynnie giggled involuntarily, reaching up to wipe at her wet cheeks. “Well, it’s a family name, you know,” she shrugged slightly, lips curved into a sweet smile as he took the memory box off her lap and eagerly delved into its contents. “She was born at the Manor. I wanted to honor my family’s legacy somehow…I don’t know. It felt like the right choice at the time, but I was super high on painkillers so that might’ve been it.”

Dean chuckled too, until he pulled out a copy of Warren’s birth certificate. She had the original laminated and tucked away safely, but there was a copy of it in the memory box just for kicks. His eyes zeroed in on Warren’s full name.

Warren Mary-Piper Winchester-Halliwell.

He stared at it for a long time.

This was it.

His kid.

His daughter.

God, if he could turn back time…He’d have never left San Francisco after their fight. Hell, he’d avoid it entirely. It was so stupid and meaningless, now more than ever.

“You gave her my mom’s name,” he whispered. “And my name.”

“Like I said,” Lynnie smiled. “I wanted to honor her legacy.”

“Warren…What’s she like?” Dean asked, dying to know. The memory box held a few other things – a clip of her baby hair, a few other pictures, her infant handprint…None of it told him much about his kid. He needed to know.

Lynnie sighed, leaning back against the cushion as she thought about the little spitfire of a person her baby was turning out to be.

“She’s amazing,” she replied with a smile. “She likes to be called Wren, unless she’s introducing herself. Then she’ll go ‘I’m Warren Winchester-Halliwell’.”

Dean grinned. “It’s got a nice ring to it,” he admitted.

“She thinks so, too,” Lynnie tucked a strand of red hair behind her ears. “She loves cars. My dad got her into them. She likes to sit with him when he’s fixing up his Charger. Uh…got a bit of an obsession with Blue Oyster Cult. Don’t Fear the Reaper was the only song that could calm her down when she was a baby. She’s taken up karate – wants to be as badass as Aunt Phoebe. She’ll bug everyone during breakfast to have a sip of coffee, but just that one sip and she’s shaking like an addict on withdrawal.”

Dean listened, falling more and more in love with this kid that he’s never met before the more that Lynnie told him about her. There was so much about her that was pure Lynnie, but there was a lot he recognized as similar traits he had. It was a terrifying rush of happiness and fear that rocked him, to think that a little person he’d helped to create was such a part of him that she’d share such strong similarities to him.

“She looks just like you,” Lynnie went on, her tone softening as she looked at a picture Dean had just taken out of Wren at her first birthday. “It’s totally unfair because I went through like thirty hours of labor to have her, but she looks just like you. She’s got your eyes, and your lips…She’s got your smile.”

How could his heart ache for Wren when he’d never actually met her before? Every fiber of his being was screaming at him to get a move on and ask where Wren was, if he could see her right this friggin’ second.

“Her nose and cheekbones are pure Halliwell,” Dean noted as Lynnie handed him a picture frame she’d taken off the top of the bookshelves. The picture inside was much more recent – Lynnie’s hair was red and Wren was older. And he noticed that even though she had his eye color, the shape of it was Lynnie’s.

Catching sight of even more pictures of Wren scattered around the apartment – hung up on beautiful frames on the walls, propped up on bookshelves and even a couple on top of the piano at the far end of the living room, Dean gently set aside the memory box on the coffee table and slowly made his way through the living room, taking his time to really soak in every picture. Wren looked like a normal, happy little girl…

Lynnie tracked his movements with a heart as burdened as it was happy. “I’m, uh, I’m gonna make a cup of tea. I’ll make a new cup of coffee for you, okay?” she rose from the couch. Dean barely acknowledged her with a grunt, too busy taking in the picture of Wren shrieking with laughter at the park, drenched thanks to a water gun fight she’d had with Wyatt and Chris. It was taken just two weeks ago and Lynnie had loved that picture so much she’d immediately framed it.

Dean looked towards the kitchen when he heard a burst of carefree laughter that was unmistakably Sam’s drift towards the living room. Parker’s feminine giggles mingled with his brother’s voice, and he caught snippets of what could only be a retelling (an inaccurate retelling, no doubt) of a recent pool game gone wrong. He’d ended up having to run out of the bar, Sam in tow, to avoid a bunch of five-hundred-pound gorilla rednecks coming his way.

He was surprised to hear Sam laughing so freely. He hadn’t heard that sound in years. It wasn’t like he and Sam had kept in touch during the Stanford years, and when they’d gone hunting together…Well, there was Jessica’s death always haunting the younger Winchester brother.

Thinking back to their childhood with the Halliwells, Dean could remember vividly that Parker had always been able to bring a smile out of Sam. It was just her way – the same affectionate air about her that her mother Phoebe also possessed. Sam had never been able to stay grumpy or sad in her presence.

Maybe this visit would turn out to be fruitful not just for Dean. It was a long stretch, but a brother could hope.

Noticing a photo album on a shelf, Dean grabbed it and sank back down on the couch, hoping there were more pictures of Wren inside. He grinned, striking gold.

He was startled out of his perusal by a mug of steaming hot coffee held out in front of his face.

Dean looked up and mirrored the tentative smile on Lynnie’s face as he took the steaming mug from her.

“Thanks,” he murmured, taking a careful sip. He closed his eyes in appreciation of the rich flavor. Maybe it was all the diner sludge he’d had to drink day in and out, but nothing had ever tasted as good as the coffee she’d made for him.

“Sure,” she replied shyly, making herself comfortable on the armchair next to the couch he was on.

He took a good look at her, drinking her in thirstily.

She was so very different than she was five years ago. She looked different but the same somehow, familiar…She was still as beautiful, more so even. The way she looked at him was guarded – which hurt. He understood why, and every time he thought about the reason, he couldn’t help but hate John for the first time in his twenty six years of life. If his dad hadn’t called him away, he never would have gotten into that fight with Lynnie and miss out on everything.

But then there are some things that are just pure Lynnie Halliwell.

Those beautiful brown eyes…Those gorgeous dimples when she smiled…The way just being in the same room as her made his heart race…

That was all pure Lynnie.

She’d tucked her legs underneath her and he knew she was sipping chamomile tea instead of coffee. He smiled a little into his mug – five years of absence and she still knew he’d never drink tea if it’d save his life.

“So…Where is Wren?” Dean wondered, eyes drifting to the grandfather clock in the corner of the room. It was past eight. That was late for a five year old to be out, right? She had to be in the apartment. Was she sleeping? Probably.

“She’s with my dad,” Lynnie replied, her soft, husky voice breaking through his thoughts. “He’s taken her camping. She’s the only one of us who loves all that outdoorsy stuff…They’ll be gone all weekend.”

“She’ll be back on Sunday?” Dean asked, disappointment coloring his tone.

Lynnie nodded, taking another sip of tea to calm her nerves. “Yeah. She’ll spend the day at my parents’ house on Sunday. She’ll be back for dinner.”

Dean frowned. “Can’t you get her back earlier?” he asked, eager and impatient. “I’m sorry…I just…I can’t wait to see her. To meet her. Y’know?”

Lynnie bit her lip, watching him with a wariness that wasn’t there two seconds ago. “Dean…” she sighed.

He frowned, not liking the sudden mood change. “What?” he asked, a tiny bit defensive.

“I…Okay, don’t take this the wrong way, but I think it’s better for her to stay away for a while,” she said, deciding to just be blunt about it. She eyed him nervously. “It’ll give you time,” she told him.

Dean stared, a little taken aback. “Time for what?”

“To decide…If you wanna be a part of her life,” Lynnie clarified, her tone suggesting this should be obvious to him.

Dean felt his hackles rise. “She’s my kid,” he stated, his tone a little gruff. “Of course I’m gonna be a part of her life.”

Lynnie glared at him. “Don’t get all defensive, Dean,” she warned.

Dean shook his head, putting the mug on the coffee table in front of him and standing up. “You’re acting like I’m about to bail on my own kid, and you think I shouldn’t get defensive?” he demanded, annoyed.

“Dean–”

“That letter…Me saying I didn’t want to be a part of her life…That wasn’t me, okay?” he growled, barely noticing that the voices in the kitchen had gone completely silent. “That wasn’t me. Now I don’t know what happened or why, but I would have never done that.”

“That’s what I’m trying to say, Dean!” Lynnie snapped, putting her mug aside and standing too so that they were nose to nose.

He stared at her, confused and hurt and angry. “What!?”

Lynnie sighed, dropping her head and shaking it slightly. “Look, I shouldn’t have believed that letter, okay?” she said, her tone soft and apologetic. It did the trick, calming him down enough that his shoulders relaxed. “I know it wasn’t you…But here’s the thing, Dean…I can’t introduce you to Wren as my old friend. She knows your name. She knows what you look like. She walks in that door and she sees you here…She’s gonna wanna expect you to be her dad.”

He shrugged. “What’s so wrong with that?” he wondered. “I am her dad.”

“No, you’re her father,” she corrected. “Being her dad brings a whole lotta responsibilities with it…She’s going to expect things from you. She’s going to want you around…Maybe not always, but for the important things…Like tournaments and birthdays…She’s going to want to know you’re going to be there.”

“And I will be there,” he promised fervently, large hands gripping her gently by the shoulders.

Lynnie felt a shiver crawl down her spine. Those warm hands on her…Those hypnotizing eyes…He had a way of making her feel like a teenager head over heels in love all over again.

“I know you will,” she reached up and cupped his cheek with her palm. He had day-old stubble, making his skin a little rough to the touch. “You’ll do the right thing. You’ll be there, and you’ll come back all the time, and you’ll be the best dad she could ever ask for.”

She had too much faith in him – he was scared out of his mind and far too much out of his depth. He had no clue what he should be doing and the thought of just meeting his kid make his knees shake in fear. He would do his best, but his best might not be anyone else’s idea of ‘the best’.

“You make it sound like a bad thing,” he joked warily.

Lynnie cracked a small grin. Her dimples showed anyway. He had the sudden urge to kiss them.

“Not bad,” she conceded. “But I don’t want you to regret it. Because if you decide to be her dad now and then it doesn’t work out…It’ll break her heart. And I can’t let that happen, Dean. Not to my kid.”

Dean frowned. “I won’t ever regret her,” he promised, believing it wholeheartedly.

“Dean, just, please…” she begged, squeezing her eyes tight for a moment. “Please. Just think about it. I had nine months to think things through. You’ve had an hour…It’s a big decision, okay?”

Dean sighed. Looking into those big brown eyes, he could never say no.

“Okay,” he agreed, reluctantly.

*****************************************************************************************************

Well, that was the first chapter. It's gonna get better, I promise. Right now, it's just the ground work. And for those of you who never knew Charmed, Warren was the last name of one of the first witches in the Halliwell line - Melinda Warren, to be exact. I actually had a different name in mind - Charlotte, after Melinda Warren's mom. But then we have Charlie in SPN and 'Lola' as a nickname was just...Not working. Crowley had that girlfriend Lola for a while, too, which really convinced me to change my mind. I'm actually falling in love with the name Warren/Wren for a girl. Sorry if that's not your cup of tea.

Anyway, please do leave me a review letting me know if you enjoyed this first chapter. I would really appreciate it. This story is the biggest one I've ever written and it's gonna be my balm after the end comes.

Lots of love,  
Lorelai.


	2. Can't You See

**Chapter 2: Can’t You See**

**December 24th, 1991**   
**San Francisco**

Dean sighed as he placed the last sticky tape on Sammy’s final present. Wrapping had been a bitch. A shuffling sound next to him had him peering over his shoulder to where Lynnie was seated next to him, a small pile of wrapping paper surrounding her and a mug of hot cocoa in her hands. She had on a smile of pure bliss, her eyes locked on the TV screen in front of them. Die Hard was on – the perfect Christmas movie. Dean grinned, grabbing his own mug of cocoa and sidling up next to her on the couch.

It was ten minutes to midnight, and everyone else in Halliwell Manor was fast asleep, Sammy included. Dad was nowhere to be seen – Dean hadn’t even heard from him in days. The last time they’d spoken on the phone, Dad had told him that he was still neck deep in his latest case. It’s looking like Dad wasn’t going to be back in time for Christmas tomorrow.

Sammy was going to be upset tomorrow. He’d gotten more and more withdrawn over the days and the nearer Christmas drew, the more he was sure Dad wasn’t going to turn up in time. Dean had been reassuring him that Dad was going to be back in San Francisco in time for Christmas, just as Dad had promised he’d do all this time. When it became clear just today that Dad wasn’t going to show, Dean had asked Lynnie for help. Her mom, Aunt Piper, was way too busy cooking up a storm for the family’s Christmas dinner but Uncle Leo had taken Dean and Lynnie to the mall, battled frantic last minute shoppers for them and paid for Sammy’s eight presents (one for each year he’s been alive), even though Dean was embarrassed that he couldn’t pay for them himself.

Honestly, Leo and Lynnie had been Godsent. Dean had been a little lost on what to get for Sammy. He knew his brother best but buying presents was just a nightmare.

“We need to get the presents under the tree,” Dean sighed tiredly, dropping his head back against the couch cushions. Lynnie threw him a sly grin before focusing on the presents surrounding them. They disappeared in an orb of white and blue lights, reappearing the same way under the Christmas tree in the corner of the room, already overflowing with presents for the rest of the family.

Dean grinned. “Awesome,” he cheered.

“If my mom finds out we’re still awake, she’s gonna kill us,” Lynnie warned him.

He frowned at her. “Should we stop watching the movie and go to bed?” he asked, worried. He didn’t want her to get in trouble – and for helping him, too.

“No! Are you nuts?” Lynnie grabbed a handful of popcorn. “We’re getting to the good part!”

Dean grinned along with her. Lynnie had this way of making him feel like a normal kid even when neither of them led anything even close to ordinary lives. They watched the rest of the movie, giggling and quoting lines they knew by heart. By the time the movie ended, their cocoa downed and the popcorn dwindled to nothing but kernels, it was almost two in the morning.

Dean helped Lynnie clear up their mess, washing up their mugs and popcorn bowl while she dried.

“Hey, uh, Lynnie?” he looked over at her as he wiped his hands dry. “Thanks for helping me with Sammy’s presents.”

She smiled at him. “Of course. I want Sammy to have a nice Christmas, too, y’know?” she nudged him gently. “Hey, Dean?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry your dad’s not gonna be around for Christmas,” she told him, a little sadness creeping into her voice. She knew Sam and Dean liked being at the Manor but family trumps everything. He had to be really sad that John wasn’t coming home in time for what was supposed to be the happiest day of the year.

Dean shrugged, looking away. “It’s okay,” he said, his voice gruffer than it was before. “I know he’s doing important work. It’s…”

“It’s Christmas,” Lynnie interrupted softly. “Sammy’s not the only one who wanted him here. So I’m sorry.”

He shrugged again, meeting her eyes this time and trying not to flinch at the sympathy he found there. _Sympathy,_ he was reminded by Aunt Phoebe’s voice in his head, _is not the same thing as pity, Dean._

“Come on, I’m beat,” Lynnie sighed. “You know Sammy’s gonna wake the whole house up at five am.”

“Well, the kid does still believe in Santa,” Dean joked.

Lynnie gave him a hurt look. “You…You mean Santa’s not real?” she asked, her voice small and confused. He gave her a look and she broke, laughing.

“Yeah, real funny,” he rolled his eyes, unable to help when his lips tugged upwards in the form of a smile.

They climbed the stairs to the second floor of the Manor together, creeping quietly through the darkness. The house was quiet, and Dean hoped that it would _stay_ quiet for Christmas. He loved the Manor and he loved the Halliwells. Both felt like home, as much as Uncle Bobby’s house did, and he was always ready to take a trip to the Bay Area to spend some time with Lynnie and her family. But the Manor was an attraction for all things evil. He’d lost count how many demons have come bursting in trying to kill Lynnie’s family whenever he and Sam were there. Lynnie never ran out of stories of the multiple evils that came knocking down the door whenever he wasn’t there, either.

It was just par for the course for the Halliwells, being paragons of good.

But Dean wanted all of them to have a normal-ish Christmas Day tomorrow. Lynnie deserved it. And it would be nice if Aunt Paige didn’t have to erase Sammy’s memory of yet another monster attack, as Dad had requested her to do.

“So…I guess I’ll see you in a couple hours then,” Dean whispered to Lynnie, both of them starting to get a little giddy from lack of sleep.

Lynnie grinned, leaning forward to give him a hug. Dean accepted with a small, hidden smile. The Halliwells were huggers. Dad was particularly unimpressed by that, but Sammy was thrilled by it. Dean can’t admit it, but he didn’t mind it either.

“Goodnight, Dean,” she pressed a kiss to his cheek, shocking him. Wide green eyes flew to her blushing face. 

“Oh, uh, yeah...Goodnight...”

She turned to leave for her own room, face still cherry red, and Dean flicked his eyes upwards, mouthing the words ‘thank you’ to a God he wouldn’t have even believed to be real if Whitelighters didn’t exist. He had been hardcore crushing on Lynnie for the past year, which was stupid because crushes were for girls...but there it was, heart racing, palms sweaty, goofy grins and really stupid fantasies of saving the girl and riding off into the sunset in the Impala. He knew just how stupid it was because Lynnie was no friggin damsel and he couldn’t even legally drive yet (though, according to Dad, he was a natural behind the wheel) but a crush was a crush. Sammy had been teasing him endlessly about it though Dean was pretty sure Dad was in the dark about it.

He had been pretty damn sure that Lynnie hadn’t felt anything beyond friendship for him. She was way too good for him, all pretty smiles and shiny hair and a life that was a friggin Hallmark movie compared to what he had. Even with all the demons bursting in into the Manor, Lynnie was a well adjusted kid. She had a complete set of loving parents, siblings who weren’t emotionally scarred and an extended family who gave out hugs like it was candy on Halloween. She had a chance to do both – fight supernatural evil and have a semi-normal life at the same time, if her parents and aunts were any example.

But this here, now? 

He might not have had any experience with girls but he was smart enough to know that this _might_ mean Lynnie liked him too. 

His eyes, still trained to the ceiling from his impromptu prayer, caught sight of what was hanging directly above him. Making a split-second decision, Dean caught Lynnie’s hand in his and prayed that she wasn’t _completely_ grossed out by his sweaty palm.

“Lynnie, wait,” he called out, halting her movement and pulling her gently back to face him.

She frowned, the last vestiges of her blush fading away. “Dean? What’s wrong?” she asked quietly.

Before he lost his nerve, Dean summoned up all the courage he had in his body and shot forward, pressing a kiss to Lynnie’s lips. It was the quickest kiss, a momentary peck, but it was enough for him to know that her lips were as pillow soft as they looked and that she still tasted a little like hot chocolate. Her entire face flamed up, fast and redder than it had been before. She was silent and her eyes wide, as though she was in shock.

Just as he thought he might have made a mistake, Lynnie came back to life.

“Oh!” her voice was a tad too loud in the still of the night. “Thank you?”

He blinked. Was he supposed to say ‘you’re welcome' now? 

Lynnie darted forward and, this time, _she_ was the one who pressed a kiss to _his_ lips. His eyes were wide open, shock that this was happening at all making it impossible to get them shut. She was prettier than he’d noticed up close and he caught a whiff of her shampoo. The kiss was over before he knew it, just as fast as the one he’d laid on her.

“Night, Dean!” Lynnie squeaked, laughter in her voice as she sped away. Her room was literally five feet away from where he was standing and she closed the door as quietly as she could so as not to wake anyone up.

Dean couldn’t hear anything above the blood roaring in his ears. He felt frozen to the ground, his eyes fixed on Lynnie’s closed bedroom door as his mind replayed the sight of her, so close that he could see the freckles on her nose, eyes closed and lips against his.

The sound of a doorknob rattling had him scurrying into the guest bedroom he shared with Sammy, closing the door behind him just as Chris’ door swung open. Heart almost bursting out of his chest, Dean practically soared through the air and landed on his bed, clenching his eyes shut and curling his body inwards as he waited to see if Chris would come check on him. Chris might be the middle child, but he was _way_ more hot-tempered than Wyatt. Dean didn’t even _want_ to think how he’d react if he knew Dean had been kissing Chris’ sister.

The sound of the tap running told him Chris had only gone to the bathroom. Dean waited until he heard the noises that let him know Chris had gone back to his room before letting out a relieved sigh.

He quietly shucked off his shoes, jeans and button down, pulling down the comforter on his bed. He was one leg in bed when Sammy’s sleepy voice damn near gave him a heart attack.

“Dean? What were you doing up so late?”

Dean peered at his little brother over his shoulder. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it,” he whispered quickly. “Go back to sleep, Sammy. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Sammy had already fallen back asleep, tossing haphazardly onto his side, gangly arms flopping over his comforter. Dean bit back a grin when he heard Sammy’s light snoring, climbing in fully into his bed and settling down under the blankets and getting comfy on top of the clean sheets. That was just another perk of being at the Halliwell Manor – the beds were a million times more comfortable than any other bed Dean could ever remember sleeping in, including the one he had at Uncle Bobby’s house. The only time he ever slept in was when he was in San Francisco.

Dean was lulled to sleep by the sound of Sammy’s snoring. He felt more tired than he’s had in a long time, everything that had happened in the past few hours tiring him out more than a shtriga. Suddenly, the fact that dad wasn’t going to be there for yet another Christmas and that he’d had to depend on someone else’s dad to help him get Sammy his Christmas presents didn’t bother him the way that it had just this afternoon.

Feeling sleep coming over him, Dean snuggled into his pillows with an involuntary smile forming on his lips. Hopefully, Sammy would sleep in too and give him a few extra hours. 

*************************************************************************************

**January 7th, 2006**   
**San Francisco**

Dean and Sam were given the guest room.

The apartment that Lynnie and Parker (and Warren) shared wasn’t enormous, but it had a great guest bathroom with a rainforest shower head. Honestly, he probably spent a little too much time in there – having been on the brink of death for several days hadn’t felt so hot and washing all of that away with hot water and soap that actually smelled good felt better than he could describe.

Lynnie had gone straight to her room to shower and change after she’d shown him his room and where the extra towels and blankets were should he need them. They’d left Sam and Parker still gabbing away in the kitchen. Dean tried to be annoyed but, honestly, he was just glad Sam was talking to someone – and about something other than death and demons and fiery women burning on the ceiling.

There were two beds in the guest bedroom – Lynnie had explained that sometimes her brothers or Parker’s sisters or their cousins from their Aunt Paige’s family would come and stay over so they’d invested in two beds for the room – and Dean slipped into the one nearest the door. It was as comfortable and warm and inviting as the bed he’d had at Lynnie’s parents house when they were growing up, but unlike before, sleep didn’t claim him as easily.

He felt incredibly wide awake, heart pounding way too fast and blood rushing in his ears. Every time he closed his eyes, he’d see pictures of Warren flashing behind his eyelids. He kept them open and he can’t help but think of all the things Lynnie had said about her.

She preferred to be called ‘Wren’. She liked rock music – classic rock. Lynnie had rolled her eyes at that, but Dean knew she must have been the one to introduce classic rock to the kid. Lynnie was as big a fan of it as he was. She liked martial arts and was taking taekwondo at a martial arts school in the Bay Area. She was also a big fan of gymnastics. Her favorite food was a good cheeseburger, but she couldn’t eat it without fries and a milkshake to accompany it. She had a Buffy obsession. She’d been begging Lynnie for a sibling ever since she learned how to talk.

Dean couldn’t wait to meet her.

He knew he’d promised Lynnie to ‘think about it’, but God, what was there to think about? He had a living, breathing, flesh-and-blood kid of his own. He’d love her – hell, he was pretty damn sure he already did. He’d protect her from whatever evil was out there. He’d be there for her.

Suddenly, a flash of Jess, burning up on that ceiling of Sam’s apartment at Palo Alto dashed through his mind.

Another flash, this time of a little Sammy asking Dean where dad was, when he was coming home, was he going to make it for his birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas?

A surge of awareness of just who he was kept his brain from slowing down enough for him to get to sleep. He knew he wasn’t the kind of guy who deserved a woman like Melinda Halliwell or her family. Considering who they were and what they did, the Halliwell family had a pretty strong grip on a normal-ish life. School, work, love lives and eventually families of their own…They got the whole deal. Good witches were nothing like hunters.

Dean had never known why or how he’d managed to have Lynnie for as long as he did way back when. He’d known the entire time that she was far too good for him. But she was tough, a warrior chick. She could handle him, even at his worst. God knows he’d lashed out at her more times than he could count. Never physically, of course – not that, not _ever_. But he’d been an ass to her more than once. This job, this life, this family…It took a toll on him at times. And whenever dad was being an asshole or Sammy was being difficult or the two of them were just inches away from killing each other…Whenever he saw something that he just couldn’t shake…Dean had lashed out at her, unfairly taken it all out on her. She’d seen her fair share of evil, too – maybe even more than him – but at least she had the supportive family thing to keep her sane.

A part of him had been really jealous of that. Maybe that’s why he took it out on her. Or maybe because he knew she wouldn’t run, not even from the darkest parts of him, no matter what he said. Whatever it was, he’d never been able to work up to earning that loyalty from her.

But this kid…_Their_ kid…Warren.

She was just a kid.

She wouldn’t be as tough as Lynnie. She shouldn’t have to be.

He’d seen firsthand – hell, he’d _experienced_ it firsthand – what it was like to have a kid always having to _understand_ a parent’s bad temper or crappy parenting or whatever. He never wanted that for his own kid. He’d thought of kids before, a couple of times he’d been vulnerable enough to admit wanting that for himself. He’d never said it out loud, of course, not to anyone. He’d made a vague sort of acknowledgement when Lynnie had mentioned their future together when they were younger, but he’d honestly only ever thought of a family of his own if Lynnie was in the picture.

She was his one and only. Like John and Mary.

He wasn’t an idiot – he knew dad hooked up on the road, but he’d never fallen in love with anyone else. Mary Winchester had been his forever home.

Warren deserved better than a broken hunter who’s got six bucks, a busted-up idea of what family is supposed to be like and an Impala to his name.

Well…At least there’s that. The Impala. Warren would probably love Baby. Probably. A shot of fear raced through him at the thought that she might not like a classic beauty like Baby, but he waved that ridiculous thought aside – she was his kid. She’d love Baby.

He tossed and turned and laid absolutely still for another hour before giving up. He sat up and reached for his phone on the bedside table. Scrolling through his contacts and finding the one he wanted, his thumb hovered over the saved number for a long couple of minutes before he finally pressed it. As he’d predicted, his call went straight to voicemail.

“Dad,” Dean greeted, and immediately cleared his throat in an attempt to sound less tired. “I’m…Uh, something happened. I don’t know if Sam told you, but I got hurt. Real bad. And we came to San Francisco. I…I saw Lynnie again. I’m with her now. At her place. She…Dad…” Dean trailed off, unsure of how to say this next part. He lifted a shaking hand to his face, fingers rubbing at his swollen eyes. “I have a kid. With Lynnie. It’s…It’s a girl. Her name is Wren. I…Dad, I’m gonna stay here for a while. Me and Sam. We’re…Things are a little bit confusing right now, and I don’t know what the hell happened between me and Lynnie, but I know that I gotta stay here. I gotta know my own kid. You taught me that, dad. You taught me that family is everything. You don’t just turn your back on ‘em.”

Lifting his chin and sniffing slightly, Dean admitted out loud for the first time, “And I don’t _want_ to turn my back on her. She’s my kid. I love her already.”

Dean shook his head, a rueful smile on his lips. “Yeah, I know, I know,” he joked gruffly. “Chick flick moment, right?” he could just imagine Dad’s reaction at his sappiness right now if he were there. “Anyway…Just thought I’d let you know. Call us when you can, dad. We’re worried about you.”

He hung up the call and tossed the phone back on the table, laying back down to try and get some sleep. It didn’t work, but it did give him some time to think about what he’d just admitted to Dad’s voicemail. He did want to know Wren. He meant that, really and truly. It wasn’t out of some misplaced obligation. He wanted this. If that mix-up that had caused their breakup five years ago hadn’t happened, Dean was pretty damn sure he and Lynnie would still be together now, their daughter a constant presence in his life.

His heart ached for that reality he never got to have. He’d never been so head over heels in love with anybody before – just Lynnie. And they’d wanted to have that together, a family, a home. If he’d learned anything growing up as a hunter on the road, it was that family didn’t have to mean a house in suburbia. And if having Whitelighters in his life had taught him anything, it was that you didn’t have to be in the same zip code as someone to share three meals a day with them.

He could do this. He could be a hunter and a father to Wren. He wouldn’t miss out on the dumb plays or the science fairs or the martial arts tournaments. He would have every damn meal with her. He wouldn’t subject her to crappy motel rooms and convenience store microwave foods. And he’d protect her, too. He was her father. He’d keep her safe. Whatever evil sons of bitches out there who wanted to come at her would have to go through him and he knew he got nasty when it came to protecting those he loved.

Even with this new epiphany of his, he couldn’t help the niggling self-doubt and the fear creeping into his subconscious. It kept his tired eyes wide awake and his mind running a marathon of ‘what-ifs’.

Sam snuck in through the door of the guest bedroom at a little past three AM. Dean saw him toeing off his shoes in the dark, shucking off his outer layers and flopping down unceremoniously on the bed. Like he always had as a kid, Sam was immediately fast asleep, snoring loudly. Dean bit back a grin. Parker had probably gotten him drunk.

He listened to Sam’s truck engine snoring for a few loud minutes, but time was moving too damn slowly and he was still nowhere near sleepy. Sighing heavily, Dean threw a jealous glare at his brother’s sleeping form before quietly sneaking out of the room.

The hall outside was pitch black so he felt his way using the wall until his eyes adjusted. He was halfway down the long hallway before the door to his right opened. He jumped, startled, arm swinging out as light spilled out from the bathroom and into the dark corridor. He blinked against the too-harsh light, squinting at an equally surprised Lynnie.

“Dean?” she frowned at him. “What are you doing up?”

He shrugged, giving her a sheepish smile in return. “Couldn’t sleep,” he admitted, running a hand through the short strands of his hair.

An understanding look crossed her face and she reached out to place her hand on his arm. A sizzle of heat seared him from her hand straight through his shirt.

“Come on,” she jerked her head to the side. “Let’s get something to drink.”

“It’s not gonna be tea, is it?” he asked warily.

She grinned at him. “Chamomile’s soothing,” she teased.

He groaned. “You know, I love your family, I really do, but tea? It’s the devil,” he told her, following her into the kitchen anyway.

“Pretty sure the devil’s the devil,” Lynnie quipped, reaching into the cabinet. His eyes lit up when she pulled out a bottle of Jack and two glasses. “I think these might work better,” she said, unscrewing the bottle and pouring them both a double.

“You _get_ me,” he told her, only half-joking.

“What have you been thinking about?” she asked him quietly.

He paused, downing half of his drink in one go. “Oh, you know, this and that,” he answered, deflecting.

She raised an eyebrow. “The weather? Paris Hilton?” she guessed, her tone light.

Dean huffed out a surprised laugh. “Oh, come on,” he joked. “I’m deeper than that.”

“Right,” she snapped her fingers. “Busty Asian Beauties it is. How could I forget?”

He choked on his last swallow of whiskey. “Dammit,” he cursed, forgetting for a moment that quirky comebacks were kind of a Halliwell specialty. “Warn a guy, will ya?”

She grinned unrepentantly, pouring him another double while she nursed her first. She didn’t press him again for an answer, but the silence between them was screaming at him.

“You were right,” he admitted finally. “About me needing to think things through.”

Lynnie straightened up and he could see her steeling herself for a blow that would never come. “Oh, yeah?” she asked, her voice steadier than she felt.

Knowing what her mind must’ve jumped to, he was quick to reassure. “Don’t get me wrong – I already love her,” he admitted freely.

She blinked, trying her hardest to hide her surprise. He understood. There were only two people he’d ever admitted to loving after the age of four – Sam and Lynnie. He’d loved others – his dad, of course, Lynnie’s parents and aunts, Bobby…None of them got to hear the words except for his brother and the love of his life. But Warren? Whole other story.

“I do,” he admitted again, ignoring how that smile curving so prettily on her lips made his heart race almost painfully. “But I’m…I’m not ‘good dad’ material.”

She frowned, feeling a little lost. “Dean?”

“I mean, I love my dad, I really do,” he said, shaking his head. He was really on a roll here, throwing around the ‘L’ word like it was a football. “But let’s face it, John Winchester’s not gonna be winning any ‘dad of the year’ awards anytime soon. And he’s all I’ve got as a reference. I keep thinking…Am I gonna be the same? Am I gonna be a crappy dad Warren’s gonna grow up hating? I…I can’t have that.”

“That’s not going to happen, Dean,” Lynnie said softly, coming around the kitchen island to sit on the bar stool to his right. She smelled like fresh apples and it made his head spin for a bit. “You’d be great at this.”

“No, I wouldn’t,” Dean stated flatly. “I’m a hunter, Lynnie. I’m on the road. All the time. I drink too much. I get angry fast…All the things I never wanted to be…Well, here we are. I loved the guy, but I never wanted to be the kind of dad that my dad was…Y’know?”

“Well, you’re not,” Lynnie said firmly. “That’s not you, Dean.”

“No offense, but how would you know?” he challenged, looking at her through slightly blurry eyes. “We haven’t seen each other in five years, Lynnie. A lot’s happened.”

“It doesn’t matter,” she insisted. “I know you. I should’ve known that you would never have run out on your baby. I should have tried harder to find you.”

“Why didn’t you?” He didn’t mean for it to come out accusing, but he supposed that it did. Lynnie’s heart broke a little at the sadness in his voice. She had spent the past five years being heartbroken over him, and she could only now understand that whatever it was that had torn them apart, it had broken him, too. It had never been his choice.

She shrugged a little, looking away. “My heart was crushed,” she admitted, her voice small. “I don’t know…We talked about our future, getting married, having kids someday…But we were so young. I thought…Well, I was in a head-spinning, scary place. It made me look at things all screwy.”

Lynnie gave Dean a sorrowful smile. “I can’t tell you how much I regret not trying harder,” she placed her empty glass on the marble countertop and rubbed her face tiredly with her hands. “I just wish…”

She looked so tired and sad and worried and beautiful…God, she was so beautiful. Dean reached out, taking her hand in his. “No, look, it’s okay,” he said, meaning it.

She gave him a look. “No, it isn’t,” she argued quietly.

He grinned a little. “Well, I’m not thrilled that I missed out on five years of my own kid’s life,” he admitted. “But whatever it was…Whatever made us spend five years apart…I don’t care. I’m here now. I just…I wish I’m better for her, that’s all.”

Lynnie stared at him, eyebrows furrowed together. “What do you mean?” she asked.

“Oh, come on, Lynnie,” he laughed self-deprecatingly. “I’m not…I’m not built to be a good dad.”

“That’s not true,” she said it with such conviction. Dean was so tempted to believe her. God, he wanted it to be true. “I already know you’ll be an amazing dad to Warren.”

He laughed disbelievingly. “Yeah? And how are you so sure?”

“’cuz,” she shrugged, a smile on her face, her eyes soft. “You’ve always been a great dad to Sammy.”

Out of all the things that she could’ve said, that was literally the last thing he expected. Looking at her with surprise in his eyes, he found himself drawn to her. She was so pretty, so good…Even after all these years, she was the _purest_ thing he’d ever laid eyes on. Without even really noticing it, the two of them drew closer, caught in each other’s spell.

Dean leaned in, finding himself trapped in that head-spinning, heart-racing, sweet smelling daze that had thrown him head over heels for this woman all those years ago. Her lashes fluttered, brushing against his cheek, and her breath puffed out, whiskey warm, against his lips. A moment of clarity washed over him – he’d missed her, missed how she’d turned her very presence into _home_ for him. And now he was back where he belonged and she was giving him more than he ever thought he’d ever get out of life. He didn’t deserve her or Warren, but thank God for them. Thank _God._

Right before their lips touched, Lynnie pulled back, sucking in a ragged breath. Looking more than a little dazed herself, she had a conflicted expression on her face.

“Dean…” she whispered, apples of her cheeks turning a pink color he wanted nothing more than to kiss.

Blinking a few times in an attempt to shake off his lust – and the rejection – Dean shot her a rueful smile. “Right…it’s been a while,” he wiped his palms against his sweatpants. “We can’t just jump right back into it. Obviously. I knew that.”

Lynnie chuckled a little. “God, you have the worst timing, Winchester,” she told him, shaking her head. “If you’d shown up here six months ago I’d have gotten you out of all that flannel in five seconds flat.”

He shared a knowing grin with her and was surprised to feel his own cheeks heat up to match hers. Honestly, the fact that she could still turn him into a shy, virginal tween was just ridiculous.

“Yeah? Well, what’s different now?”

Her smile flickered and fell off her face. “Oh,” she swallowed. “Actually…I, uh, I’m seeing someone.”

His heart skipped a beat.

Of course. Of _course_ she was. She was beautiful and fiery and smart and kind…who wouldn’t jump at the chance to be with her?

“Is it serious?” he asked, attempting futilely to sound casual.

She shrugged. “I dunno,” she admitted. “As serious as it can get, I guess. I don’t really…get _serious_ serious, y’know? I’ve gotta think about Wren. I don’t want her getting attached…”

She saw the look in Dean’s eyes, that partly hopeful look that she hated to squash. Truth was, it had taken her four years after Dean to even contemplate dating and every guy she’d been out with had been unfairly compared to him. None of them had measured up. Logan had been the first one she’d been on more than two dates with. While she didn’t feel for Logan as strongly as she had felt for Dean, they were still in a committed relationship. She couldn’t simply drop everything between them because her unpredictable ex was back in town. No matter how much she was tempted to do just that. And Dean, looking at her like that, it wasn’t helping matters.

“It’s still serious,” she told Dean, not wanting him to get the wrong idea about them. “He’s…I mean…”

Dean held up a hand, waving away her explanation. “You don’t have to tell me,” he told her. _Please don’t tell me,_ he wished.

An awkward silence fell upon them before Lynnie stood. She took both of their empty glasses and put them aside in the sink.

“It’s getting really late,” she said, wrapping her robe tighter around herself. “We should really get to bed.”

Still as jittery as he was before their midnight cap, Dean walked her to her room anyway. The apartment was completely silent but they could hear Sam’s snoring from two doors down when they reached Lynnie’s room. Grinning to each other at the familiar sound of the trucker snores, Lynnie leaned against the wall next to her bedroom door.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you in the morning,” she said, fighting back a yawn.

Dean nodded, looking away for a moment. Before she could react, he had leaned in and pressed a kiss to her cheek. His beautiful green eyes flicked up to meet her gaze as he pulled away.

“Goodnight, Lynnie,” he said quietly, turning to head back to his room.

Lynnie stared after him, dumbfounded, and only remembered to call out a whispered, “Goodnight!” once he was already back in his room. Her skin burned hot where he had kissed it and the sound of his gravelly voice, deep and masculine, soothing and exciting, repeated in her mind on a constant loop.

“Oh, boy,” she murmured, slipping into her room and shutting the door behind her. Leaning against her closed door, Lynnie lightly banged her head backwards on the solid wood, eyes shut tight. She was in trouble, that was for damn sure.

*************************************************************************************  
**January 8th, 2006**  
**San Francisco**

“So…These visions,” Parker sipped her coffee leisurely, peering at Sam over the rim. “Getting pretty scary, huh?”

Sam choked on a startled laugh, taking his seat opposite Parker at the breakfast nook in the kitchen. “Yeah, that’s one word for it,” he shook his head. “I dunno…They’ve been getting more and more vivid lately.”

Parker watched him with worried brown eyes. Sam had slept for a good eight hours last night – a lifetime, considering hunters usually get a grand total of four hours of sleep per week. She also had the sense that he hadn’t been sleeping all that well lately, thanks to what happened with his girl, Jess. She’d caught a glimpse of what had happened when their fingers brushed yesterday. They’d been having a perfectly innocent, fun time joking about Dean and Lynnie, and an image of the horrific incident had flashed across his mind in a split second. It had been such a strong memory that Parker had caught the psychic residue off of it, that terrifying moment coming to her mind as well. The poor boy couldn’t catch a break.

She’d slipped some dreamless sleep potion into his drink right before they’d said goodnight and it had done the trick. He’d strolled into the kitchen at close to midday, looking relaxed and restful...He’d shrugged off Lynnie’s teasing and wrestled with Dean over the burritos they’d had delivered for lunch…but as time went on, his shoulders started to hunch over again, his eyes tightened and he took on the same look of someone in the thick of a war zone and suffering from one hell of a PTSD.

She couldn’t do anything about his nightmares of the pain he was feeling at losing the girl of his dreams in such a tragic way (she had suggested going to see a Soothsayer at the Magic School who could help him work through his grief but he’d almost laughed it off. Sam might be the more sensitive brother but he had still been raised in John Winchester’s School of Toxic Masculinity). In fact, she couldn’t do much about anything because he refused to talk about the whole reason why he was on the road again.

He did talk a lot about John’s disappearing act and Dean’s willingness to blindly follow John’s instructions via vague messages and coordinates without getting my explanations. Sam had a lot of anger and confusion inside of him, hiding the darker swirling void of sadness and heartbreak. It broke her heart to share these emotions with him but she would never tell him. The Winchester boys were famous for taking on the weight of the world on their shoulders. He’d only feel guilty she was feeling so much from him.

So, she’ll help him in other ways. She’ll be his shoulder to lean on (cuz God knows the boy needs it – Dean wouldn’t be up to hear more complaints about the old man, going on about the same damn excuses like he was John’s personal damage control guy). And she’ll help him with his visions.

“Do you...” Sam hesitated slightly. “Have you met someone who develops a special ability when they’re older?”

He sounded so unsure and scared. She wanted to give him the answers he wanted but he needed the truth more.

“No,” she admitted and watched with a heavy heart as he nodded once as though she had just confirmed he was spiraling down a dark path. “But, Sam...I don’t really know a lot of people outside my family with powers.”

“Oh, yeah? What about Magic School?”

And it was true. Magic School was filled with kids with abilities of all kinds – telekinesis, pyrokinesis, telepathy...You name it. All of them had had these abilities since birth.

“They’re...They come from families of witches, Sam. Or they have witch blood in their genes. It’s different,” she said gently. “I know that there are people out there with special abilities like yours and I know that they’re not witches. I don’t know why they have these abilities or when they start to develop them...”

Sam heaved a big sigh, looking incredibly stressed.

“Look, when I get back to the school tomorrow, I can look into it,” she offered. “We’ve got a pretty extensive library and some of the world’s oldest Elders working there. I’m sure I can find something.”

Sam smiled weakly at her. “Thanks, Parker,” he said quietly, looking for all the world like the little boy he used to be.

“In the meantime...What do you say we work on controlling those visions of yours?” she suggested.

Sam laughed a little. “God, I don’t know if I wanna do that,” he said honestly. “I kinda want them to just…Go away.”

Parker bit her lip. Technically, there _was_ a way to do that – power-stripping potion. They’d brewed it once for an empath who rejected her gift and was being driven mad by it. It was a simple potion and it wouldn’t cause Sam any pain or discomfort. Frankly, it would probably help the poor guy out, give him some peace of mind. But in her heart, Parker could just _feel_ that Sam could do a lot of good with his powers. She couldn’t help but feel like it would be an incredibly massive mistake to take his gift away from him.

“I could,” she admitted reluctantly, unwilling to lie to that puppy dog face. He perked up and quick, and she hurried to continue, “But I won’t.”

His hopeful smile started to slip. “What…Why?” he asked, sounding as confused as he looked. He watched her with a betrayed gaze that cut her a little.

She shook her head. “Sammy…” she sighed. “You could do some real good with this gift.”

“It doesn’t feel like a gift,” he said quietly. “It feels…like I’m just a big freak. And every single time I have a vision, it…wrecks me. And Dean looks at me like I’m a ticking time bomb. Like he doesn’t know what to do with me. I just…I feel like everything’s spinning out of control. A couple of months ago, I was living a perfectly normal life. Now I’m back on the road as a hunter, dad’s missing, I’ve got visions or whatever…”

He sucked in a deep, unsteady breath, tucking his shaky hands into the pockets of his sweatshirt hoodie. “I’m just…A little overwhelmed,” he admitted to Parker, almost shyly. He lifted his eyes to meet hers and she found herself drawn into those sweet hazel eyes. “I don’t think I can do any good with this…Thing.”

“You can,” she insisted. “I know it. I can feel it.”

“Yeah? How’d you know?”

“Because however it is that you got this gift, why you got it…It’s for a reason, Sam,” she reached out to place a comforting hand on clenched fist. “You’re a good man. You’ll do good with it.”

A brief, self-deprecating smile flitted across Sam’s face. “It’s been a while since you knew me, Parker,” he dropped his gaze to a scratch on the table. “I’m…Uh, I’m not the same as I was back then.”

“Well, no one’s the same as they were in high school,” she teased gently.

“Maybe I’m not good now, either,” he shrugged. “Maybe I’m just…Wrong.”

“You’re not,” she squeezed his fist gently. Slowly, his fingers unfurled. “You’re a _good_ man,” she said again. “You are, Sam Winchester.”

His hand, shaking and feeling like a hundred pins were poking it, flipped over, palm up. He twined his hand with Parker’s, feeling her strength and warmth seep from her skin and into his. Her beautiful brown eyes, all compassion and understanding, held a wisdom in them that he prayed to God above meant that she knew the truth and still believed in him.

The door to the apartment swung open and Dean and Lynnie came strolling in, laughing. Parker and Sam pulled their hands away and stood, moving together to the living room to greet them.

“Hey,” Parker said with a smile. “How was the ride?”

Lynnie closed the door, unwinding her scarf from around her neck and shedding her winter coat in a practiced move. Dean shucked off his leather jacket to hang next to hers on the coat rack, toeing off his boots when Lynnie shot a glare his way. Sam and Parker shared an amused look at the silent exchange between the ex-couple. Seemed like old habits die hard, even after being in disuse for five years.

“Good,” Lynnie said, smiling slightly as she sipped on the last of her hot cocoa from the diner twenty minutes away, Mia’s. It was one of her favorite places in the city and Dean had made a stop there on their way back to the apartment to get her her usual fix of chocolatey goodness. They’d ended up staying for a bit, sharing a plate of chili fries and scarfing down a slice of apple pie each, freshly baked and warm in their bellies.

Like Sam, both Lynnie and Dean had slept in a little longer than usual. They’d bumped awkwardly into each other when they were both trying to get to the bathroom for a shower and had sat in complete silence when they got to the kitchen for a late breakfast. There was a fresh pot of coffee kept warm and ready for them on the counter, a post-it note from Parker next to it telling them that she’d gone to work at Magic School for morning classes and would be back during lunch time. She’d signed off on ‘don’t kill each other. Love, Parker.’

Dean had rolled his eyes, laughingly saying, “That cousin of yours sure is subtle.”

Lynnie had laughed with him. “Yeah, it’s one of her top qualities,” she’d joked. They’d peeked at each other over their coffee mugs until Lynnie had had enough. “This is ridiculous. Let’s…Let’s get out of the house for a little while. Just go for a walk somewhere.”

Dean nodded his head. “Yeah, I could get some fresh air,” he agreed. “But we’re not walking.”

Seeing Lynnie’s expression as she took in the Impala for the first time in five years was a memory Dean was going to cherish for the rest of his life. She had practically salivated, eyes wide as she reverently ran gentle fingers over Baby’s hood. “Whoa…Baby, I’ve missed you,” she’d murmured, full lips curving into a beautiful smile.

Unable to help himself, Dean had reminded her, “We’ve made a lot of memories with Baby.”

She had shot him what had meant to be a reprimanding look, but a blush had fought its way onto her cheeks and neck, and she’d laughed almost shyly right along with him. “Yeah, I guess we have,” she said, sighing as she slipped into the passenger’s seat of the most gorgeous car she’d seen in her life.

“Where to?” Dean had asked as he started up the engine.

Lynnie had thought for a moment before she’d suggested the park. There was a pretty kickass coffee cart there which also happened to sell amazing pretzels. Dean would love it. He’d proven her right when they’d gotten their order – he’d gone back for seconds.

They had talked again, and he’d confessed that despite all of his fears about being a crappy dad, his biggest one was missing out on more of his time with Wren. He’d thought about it and he wanted to know Wren. He wanted to be a part of her life. He wanted to be her dad.

“A day isn’t enough to know, Dean,” she’d argued.

“How long did it take for _you_ to know you wanted her?” he’d retorted, and she’d fallen silent. She’d wanted Warren from the moment she knew she was pregnant. He had her there.

They’d spent a few hours under that shaded park bench, letting the afternoon breeze sweep away their insecurities as they solidified their plan to let Dean into Wren’s life.

“So…” Parker was now looking expectantly at the two of them, her voice bringing Lynnie back to the present.

Rolling her eyes at her cousin’s excited expression, Lynnie knew that Parker at the very _least_ sensed the peace and resolution between Lynnie and Dean, even if she hadn’t Seen it in a vision. Even so, Parker always wanted verbal confirmation for everything she saw and felt from others.

“I’m gonna get Wren from the Manor when she comes back from camp in a couple hours,” she relented. “She’ll have dinner here. And meet Dean.”

Parker beamed. “I knew you two crazy kids would work it out,” she cheered, an unstoppable grin lighting up her face.

Lynnie shot her a look, but it didn’t tamp down her excitement any. Now that they knew that Dean hadn’t chosen to walk out on his kid, this was the first step in getting Lynnie and Dean back on track. Logan was a nice enough guy, but Parker hadn’t actually Sensed Lynnie feeling anything more than a passable attraction to any guy who wasn’t Dean Winchester since…Ever.

Speaking of Dean’s choices – or lack thereof – Parker cleared her throat and, sharing a look with Sam, cautiously threw out, “So…That letter was weird, huh?”

Dean, having just flopped down on the couch with his socked feet up on her beautiful coffee table and TV remote in his hand, flicked a glance at her before his attention returned to the changing channels on screen.

“Weird?” he asked.

Sam almost managed to contain his eye roll. Trust Dean not to look any deeper when it came to anything non-case related the moment he was in a situation that barely rectified the problem in the first place.

“The letter?” he prompted, looking between Dean and Lynnie and back again. “You know, the one that Lynnie didn’t send? You’re not even a little bit curious how that exists?”

Lynnie bit her lip, reaching into the back pocket of her jeans. She’d dug up her own breakup letter from Dean last night before she’d caught him sneaking around the apartment, restless and looking for something to distract him. She’d kept it in her ‘Dean box’ in her closet, out of place with the trinkets of all their happy memories surrounding it. But it was part of her history with Dean and that’s where it belonged anyway.

“Dean…” she sat next to him, the tenor of her voice enough to distract him from cable TV. His too-green eyes flicked to her face before it traveled down to the letter in her hand. “I got this five years ago. From you.”

Frowning, he switched off the TV, carelessly tossing the remote aside and taking the letter from her. Eyes widening as he read the words and took in the too-familiar handwriting, he looked up at her, dumbfounded.

“This is my handwriting,” he stated unnecessarily.

“But, lemme guess, you didn’t write it?” Parker asked, sounding almost sarcastic.

Sam reached out to gently tug the letter from Dean’s hands, reading the almost impersonal break-up. In it, ‘Dean’ was telling Lynnie that he had slept with a few women since their fight in San Francisco and he’d decided that they were better off broken up. He ‘wasn’t right’ for a relationship with her. Sam knew without a doubt in his heart that Dean would’ve never written this letter.

Seeing the confused look on Dean’s face, Sam tried to gently nudge his brother in the direction of the conclusion he’d already drawn the night before when their lives had been changed with the knowledge of Warren’s existence.

“Dean…Only one person could imitate this chicken scratch you call handwriting perfectly,” he pointed out. Dean’s head snapped up, only for him to glare at Sam. _So he_ had _thought about it,_ Sam shook his head. Typical of Dean to just dismiss even the possibility of the most obvious answer due to blind loyalty. “Dean! Come on! This can’t be a shock to you!”

Dean shook his head. “No! Come on, Sammy!”

“Dad-”

“Dad would never do this,” Dean growled out, cutting off Sam’s words. “He would’ve been pissed if he knew about Wren but he would have never done this. Not this. He’s _dad._”

“Exactly, Dean!” Sam threw his hands up in frustration. “You know how he is! Anything at all that might be a distraction and he gets rid of it!”

“My kid is not a distraction!” Dean shot up from the couch, looking like he was ready to start throwing punches. Sam drew himself up, unwilling to back down.

“Dad would’ve seen it differently,” Sam retorted challengingly. “You know he would’ve.”

Dean turned away from his little brother, pacing slightly.

Lynnie, watching him with worried eyes, stepped closer. “Dean…” she said, hesitant. She knew what Sam must’ve concluded and, honestly, the more she thought about it, the more sense it made. “I hate to say it…”

“Then don’t!” he yelled out. Lynnie gave him a _look_. It might be five years later, but his bark didn’t scare her when she _knew_ without a shadow of a doubt that there was no bite to follow it through with. His glower lessened, his eyes sliding shut, and he bowed his head, apologetic. When he looked at her again, he looked so desperate, so heartbroken and his voice matched that lost look on his face as he pleaded, “Dad wouldn’t do this to me.”

Her heart broke a little. He’d always tried so hard to be the perfect soldier, always strived to be a good son in John’s eyes. He’d always been perfect to her – a wonderful brother, a loving boyfriend…A good man. For some reason, Dean always felt that he fell short of John’s expectations. There were definitely moments when Lynnie knew John made him feel that way. She had no idea if he meant to do that to such a loyal son, but grief was no reason to belittle and crush your kid. She knew that now better than she did when she was younger, angry and defensive on behalf of the boy she’d fallen head over heels with since puberty hit.

It must kill him to even think about what Sam was suggesting, but Lynnie knew it was the truth. Looking at Sam and Parker’s shared looks, she knew Dean was about to get crushed again, all thanks to John Winchester.

“Dean,” Parker sighed, stepping forward to place a hand on his arm. She used just a teensy bit of her Empath abilities to calm him down. He needed to slow down a little to hear what she had to say next. He stopped pacing and glared at her, feeling the sensation of having his emotions manipulated and hating it.

“Stop that,” he growled out without half the anger he intended.

“Stop behaving like a wounded bear and I will,” Parker rebuffed. “You need to hear this, Dean. It’s important.”

He reluctantly agreed and she pulled her power back.

“Sammy and I did a little experimenting after you two went to sleep last night,” Parker informed the other two.

Even at a time like this, Dean couldn’t help himself. He raised a suggestive eyebrow at Sam and got a patented Sammy’s Bitch Face in response.

“Mind out the gutter, please,” Parker scowled at him before turning wide brown eyes to Lynnie. “I cast a revealing spell on him…He’s got some pretty powerful cloaking spellwork on him.”

“Cloaking?” Lynnie sounded disturbed. “From Whitelighters?”

Parker nodded. “Whitelighters,” she confirmed. “Witches…Cupids…It’s why none of us could track them down.”

“Yeah, we figured it’s why we’ve never made it back to San Francisco, either,” Sam said. “I mean, I lived thirty minutes from here for _years_ while I was at Stanford and I never saw any of the Halliwells. I must have tried a hundred times. I got in my car, I got halfway here and somehow I just…always turned back around.”

Lynnie frowned, looking at her cousin questioningly. “Can a Cloaking spell do that, too?”

Parker shrugged. “If it’s worded correctly, it can do pretty much anything. It could work both ways – cloak us from them and cloak them from us, too. It makes sense, actually,” she mused. “I used to get visions of the Winchesters all the freakin’ time – they were such a big part of our orbit – but the moment the two of you broke up, I didn’t get a peep. Not even of John.”

Looking at Dean, wanting to make sure that he knew this was the only reason why none of the Whitelighters in their family had responded when he was on the verge of dying, Lynnie concluded aloud, “It’s why none of us could hear Sam calling for our help when Dean got hurt.”

Dean looked at Parker, confused. “It’s gotta be a pretty powerful spell to do all of that,” he mused. “Your family’s probably the most powerful force of good magic in the world.”

“One of,” Parker allowed demurely. “And yes. It’s powerful. Hoodoo, from what I can tell.”

“Hoodoo?” Dean’s eyes tracked back over to Sam, who was giving him a ‘do you believe me now?’ look.

“Dad knows some people who are pretty good at hoodoo,” Sam pointed out unnecessarily.

Dean scowled. “Yeah, so do a lot of other people,” he argued.

“None of them would have reason to do this, Dean!” Sam shook his head. “But Dad would.”

Lynnie wrapped a hand around Dean’s wrist, halting his jittery movements. He stopped to look at her, her touch more calming to him than anything any Empath could throw out. Looking into those worried brown eyes, however, he knew he was going to hate what she’d say next.

“Dean,” she said quietly. “I don’t like the thought that John could do this, either, but you know that he would’ve. He hated me.”

Dean felt his face forming an incredulous expression. “What? No, he didn’t!” he protested.

Lynnie rolled her eyes. “Maybe not at first,” she admitted. “But after what we tried to pull? Dean, you disappeared on him and we ran away! Together! To elope! If my dad hadn’t been there when he found us, John would’ve killed me.”

Dean squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head. Dad would’ve never hurt Lynnie, not even then. He knew how much Lynnie meant to him.

In all his life, Dean had never felt for a woman what he felt for her, had never even loved another woman. He fell for her before puberty even hit, and yeah, even after their first kiss, he might’ve still flirted and kissed other girls whenever he was on the road, but he was hers and hers alone when they were in San Francisco. When they were fifteen, he and Lynnie had started dating and even back then, acne and awkward voice and all, Dean had known there was suddenly a change in their relationship that was a pretty significant one. Even when he wasn’t anywhere near San Francisco, he never did more than flirt with other girls once they got together as a couple.

He hadn’t thought he was being obvious, but Dad had clearly noticed. He’d sat Dean down a few weeks later. Dean supposed he’d just reached his breaking point – Lynnie kept orbing in to ‘study’ after school and Dean kept asking when the three of them could make their way back to San Francisco after every job ended. Dad had told Dean that, as a hunter, he wasn’t supposed to make a connection like that. Love just wasn’t in the cards for them. When demons find out about that weakness, they’ll use it against you. If Dean cared about Lynnie at all, he’d cut her out of his life and never looked back.

Lynnie had orbed in at that moment, having promised Dean to stop by so they could go out for some ice cream and make out. She’d orbed out with tear tracks on her cheeks. He hadn’t been able to get that devastated look on her face out of his mind. He’d called her a few times before she’d picked up and had promised her that no matter what his dad said, he wasn’t planning on breaking things off. When he’d returned to the motel room, Dad had been on the phone, in the middle of a screaming match with Aunt Piper.

Dad had relatively left Dean and Lynnie alone after that, though Dean would catch a disapproving look thrown his way every now and again. Dean had done his best to ignore all of that. He was a good son, most of the time. He was a good soldier. He was a good brother. He deserved to have something good in his life and Lynnie had been the best thing, a guardian angel sent straight from Heaven.

As the years went on and Dean continued to be a good soldier despite his long-distance relationship with Lynnie, Dad had backed off.

It wasn’t until a few years later when they were twenty-one years old, barely adults themselves, when everything had gone to hell. Dean had proposed, Lynnie had said yes and Dad had dragged Dean and Sam away from San Francisco so fast there were probably still tire tracks now.

“I mean,” Lynnie said, oblivious to Dean’s trip down memory lane. “You remember how he reacted, Dean…All the things he’d said.”

As though Dean could ever forget.

He had never argued with Dad, not like that. He had always just followed his orders and if he disagreed, he was quick to step down and let Dad overrule him. Dad and Sam already had arguments over everything. Dean didn’t need to add to the chaos. He’d played the role of peace broker since he was four years old for a reason.

But when Dad had put his foot down and declared that _no_, Dean would _not_ be getting married and that was that, Dean had been pissed.

It was his life. Lynnie was his one good thing. Nothing was going to change. He was still going to be a hunter. He would still be on the road. He wasn’t just going to let Mom’s killer walk free while he lived an apple pie life. Obviously. But if he could get a few moments of happiness with the woman he loved as his wife…Then why couldn’t he have that? She was a kickass White Witch. She could disintegrate demons with the power of her mind. She could protect herself from whatever was out there. He didn’t need to worry about putting her in danger.

And, beneath all of that anger, Dean was _hurt_. When they’d announced their engagement, Lynnie’s family had been thrilled. Piper was planning an engagement dinner and Lynnie’s cousins were already talking wedding venues. There were handshakes and congratulations and hugs all around…Before Dad’s anger had blown up and cut the celebration short. It was just so unfair that Lynnie got to have the stable home, the school, the future job and the supportive, loving family while Dean got to have a mostly drunk dad who couldn’t even be happy that Dean had found someone willing to put up with his crap _‘til death do us part._

So, yeah, he’d been angry and hurt and heartbroken and he’d yelled back when Dad had yelled and he’d been selfish for once in his entire goddamn life. When Sam had fallen asleep and Dad had passed out drunk, Dean had taken the keys to the Impala, drove all night back to San Francisco and asked Lynnie to run away with him. Eyes still red from crying from the moment John had dragged him off, Lynnie hadn’t hesitated to say yes. She’d cloaked them from her family’s tracking methods and they’d been on their own, off to Arizona. He had wanted some distance between them and her family in case they found a way to track them down using more normal means.

Dean and Lynnie had spent a week of bliss together, holed up in a hotel room he’d paid for using money he’d earned hustling at pool, and were halfway through their marriage vows at the Justice of the Peace when Dad had burst in, Leo in tow. Leo had been way less angry, but he’d allowed Dad to drag Dean and Lynnie out of the courthouse before he’d stepped in and told them all they needed to cool off first.

Leo had taken Lynnie home, not without promising to both kids that he and Piper were going to fight for them to get married. If anyone understood falling in love and getting married against the odds, it would be Lynnie’s parents after all. Dad had barely spoken to Dean the entire time they drove back to the motel Sam was staying at. They’d fought again once they were back. Dad had told him he was being selfish and thoughtless by abandoning his family for some pretty girl. Dean had told Dad he was being unfair – just because he was alone doesn’t mean Dean should be, too. Dean could still feel the punch Dad had given him.

Honestly, Dean thought about that day a lot.

What if Dad and Leo had been just a few minutes late? He’d be Lynnie’s husband right now. He would have traveled a lot more back and forth to San Francisco. He would have continued having that big family support he’d always secretly enjoyed having with the extended Halliwell-Matthews-Jenkins family. He dreamt about it sometimes, being Lynnie’s husband, having that life they’d both dreamt of back then. It had been such a vivid fantasy, so close to becoming his reality, that when things had blown up between them thanks to the strange letters from no one, Dean had never even tried to find it again. Why bother with someone else when he’d already had _the_ someone. Everyone else would’ve just paled in comparison.

Ever since he’d found out about Wren just the day before, ever since he found out that their breakup hadn’t been something either of them had wanted, Dean was back to thinking about the day he almost got married.

If Dad and Leo had been just a few moments later, if Dean hadn’t been Cloaked from her, he would’ve been Lynnie’s first call when she got pregnant. He would’ve been there when she got those alien pictures of their kid taken. He would’ve rushed to the hospital when she gave birth. He would’ve held his baby for the first time…

Dean shook his head, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat.

“This wasn’t dad,” he stated resolutely, refusing to believe it. “I know him. He wouldn’t.”

Parker sighed, sharing another frustrated look with Sam.

“Alright, fine,” she conceded reluctantly. “It wasn’t John.”

Sam looked at Parker like she was insane but she ignored him in favor of what had to happen first, “Whoever or whatever it was, it doesn’t matter.”

“It doesn’t!?” Sam asked incredulously.

“Nope,” Parker grinned. “Because all we have to do now is break the cloaking spell.”

Dean raised his eyebrows in surprise. “You can do that?”

“Honey, I’m a Halliwell,” she smiled sweetly at him. “Of course I can.”

Before he knew it, Dean was sitting at the kitchen island with Sam while Parker and Lynnie worked on their potion to break the spell.

“What I don’t understand is, if we’re Cloaked so damn well, how did Sam get us here to San Francisco?” Dean asked aloud. “You said you tried a hundred times before and couldn’t, right? Why could you do it now?”

Sam shrugged. “And why did Parker get a vision of us coming when she couldn’t before?” he wondered, remembering her phone call telling him to come to the apartment instead of the Manor.

“My theory?” Lynnie said as she threw in some wormwood into the bubbling cauldron. “Dean was between life and death. That might have weakened the hold of the spell on you.”

Parker pursed her lips and nodded. “Makes sense,” she agreed. “From what I could tell from looking at Sam’s aura last night, the spellwork was latching onto your life force. That’s what been fueling it. Hoodoo isn’t like White magic. It needs a hold. Dean being so close to death…It must have created a little break in it, enough for you two to make it here and for me to get a vision of you.”

The potion in the cauldron blew up a little, a puff of smoke emitting from it.

Lynnie waved a hand to dispel the smoke and grinned at the brothers. “Well, who’s ready to break a powerful Hoodoo spell?” she asked cheerily.

Sam and Dean needed to ingest the potion, which would’ve been fine if the two witches hadn’t added things like ‘toadstool’ and ‘frog liver’ to the mix. Cringing as he took his potion bottle from Lynnie, he raised it in a silent toast, downing the thing in one go. It tasted worse than he imagined, and he turned at the sound of Sammy coughing to see his brother, face scrunched up and red, pounding his chest with his fist as he tried to keep the potion down. Dean turned away so that the image of Sam gagging wouldn’t make him throw up.

With the brothers having taken the potion, Lynnie and Parker held hands and said the spell to break the Hoodoo curse.

“_Evil taints what was once held dear, remove this curse away from here,_” they chanted.

Dean felt icy ropes around him, as though he’d been restrained by frozen chains. A warmth started to envelop him, drifting down his body from the top of his head. Bit by bit, he felt the iciness leave him. He could almost see in his mind those imaginary frozen chains breaking and falling away from his body, leaving behind nothing but the warmth of good magic enveloping and protecting him.

Blinking his eyes repeatedly, Dean looked over at Sam, who looked as though he was coming out of a fog. Lynnie and Parker were standing in front of them, looking expectantly at them.

“Well?” Lynnie prompted. “How do you feel?”

“Pretty good, I guess,” Sam answered, still coughing a little. “Man, that potion was…Something.”

“Was it the frog liver or the pig’s feet that got to ya?” Parker chuckled, reaching out to pat him on the back.

“Man, I think I just turned into a vegetarian,” Sam complained.

A gasp from Parker, much more dramatic than necessary for Sam’s admission, made all three of them turn to the psychic. Her face had gone slack, her eyes rolled back, and mouth parted as she took in what must be another vision. Her hand was still on Sam’s back.

She came to a few seconds later, blinking a few times as she readjusted to the present.

“Parker?” Lynnie called out warily. “What did you See?”

“Well, the good news is,” Parker said, licking suddenly dry lips. “The spell worked. Curse lifted. I barely touched Sammy and that vision hit me like a freight train.”

“That’s good!” Dean grinned uncontrollably. With the curse gone, he could call for Lynnie whenever. She could orb to him whenever. Seeing her and Wren wherever he was wasn’t going to be a problem.

Lynnie, however, had caught on to the tone of Parker’s voice, “Wait a minute. What do you mean ‘the good news is’? Does this mean there’s _bad_ news?”

“Well, that depends,” Parker frowned as she placed her hands on her hips. “How do you feel about a visit from dear ol’ John himself?”

Sam and Dean stared at her, jaws dropped.

“What!?” they chorused, shooting each other irritated glares at the synchronicity.

“Dad’s on his way _here_?” Dean demanded, heart starting to race. This had been what they’d been dragging their asses all over God’s country to find, and now Dad was just going to show up right where they were!

“He’s an hour away, at most,” Parker confirmed.

Sam stuffed his hands in the pockets of his sweatshirt. He was a little suspicious of Dad’s sudden reappearance after _everything_ that had happened the past few months hadn’t been enough to draw him out of his isolation. He was more than a little sure that this confirmed his and Parker’s theory that Dad had been the one to work some Hoodoo magic on them and even broke Dean and Lynnie up – anything to keep the family together, right?

But all of that was drowned out by his utter nervousness at seeing Dad again. He could remember clearly every word said between them the night Sam had left and Dad had told him to never come back if he walked out the door. He could remember the look of hurt and betrayal on Dad’s face, hidden away by the angry words he shouted. He remembered Dean standing between them, trying so damn hard to keep his family together. He remembered crying on the Greyhound for hours, losing the only home he’d ever known in life.

He felt the first tendrils of calm reach out to him and he raised his head, meeting Parker’s soft brown eyes. He smiled a little, shaking his head slightly. He didn’t want to be calmed. He wanted every painful emotion he’d feel at seeing Dad again to be real and his own. He felt Parker’s power retreat from him and let out a shuddering breath.

He’d confessed to Dean just a few short weeks earlier that he didn’t think Dad would want to see him when they finally saw each other again. Despite what Dean had told him about Dad stopping by Stanford whenever he could to check on Sam during his time there, Sam still couldn’t shake the feeling that Dad would want nothing to do with him when he came by. After all, Parker had said that he was coming straight to the apartment. He must have been coming for Dean – he must have found out Dean’s location somehow. He fought the urge to flee and sat down with Dean, Parker and Lynnie in the living room, waiting for Dad to turn up.

The hour spent waiting for John Winchester to show up was mostly just the four of them fidgeting around the apartment.

Finally, at a quarter to three, Parker stood up and said, “I’m gonna make some coffee. Lynnie, come help me. Boys…Try not to commit patricide.”

Just as Parker and Lynnie disappeared into the kitchen, the doorbell rang.

Sam and Dean shared a look of apprehension before Dean stood and headed for the door. Sam slowly rose from the couch as the door swung open.

He felt the air whoosh out from his lungs as he stared at his father. This was the first time Sam had laid eyes on the man in over three years…He looked the same as he had the last time Sam had seen him. A little roughed up, a little scruffy, tired eyes, tired smile…Strong. Cautious. He looked like _Dad_. Sam’s vision started to grow blurry and he had to quickly blink back tears before they fell.

Dean looked as dumbstruck as Sam felt as he stared at their father. A part of him was sure he was hallucinating it. “Dad?” he whispered.

John’s eyes trailed from Dean to Sam standing a few steps behind him and back to Dean again. He smiled at Dean even as he greeted both of his sons, “Hey, boys.”

Dean felt like a little boy again as Dad clasped him in a long hug. All of his fears about Dad going after the demon on his own, all of his doubts about what had happened to keep Wren away from him for five years, went out the window. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, taking in the smell of gunpowder and Dad’s cologne – a familiar scent straight from his childhood. All that mattered was that Dad was there, he was safe and the three of them were back together again.

John pulled back from his elder son, patting him on the shoulder before he turned to his younger boy. “Hi, Sam,” he greeted, moving past Dean to step into the apartment.

“Hey, Dad,” Sam said quietly, unsure what he was to do next. How should one react when seeing an estranged parent again after years apart?

Dean closed the door behind him and stepped towards his father and brother.

“Listen, Sammy,” John ran a hand through his messy hair. “Last time we were together, we had one hell of a fight.”

Sam nodded in acknowledgement. “Yes, sir,” he agreed.

John paused for a moment. “It’s good to see you again,” he admitted. “It’s been a long time.”

Relief flooded through Sam’s body. Even after everything Dean had said, Sam had still been sure in his heart of hearts that Dad hated him for leaving. He’d half convinced himself that the reason Dad hadn’t answered any of his calls was because it had been Sam calling. Maybe he’d even avoided Dean because he’d dragged Sam into this when Dad had told him to never come back, a punishment for abandoning his family, for choosing college over hunting.

Dad wasn’t the kind of person to apologize for anything, but Sam could hear the reconciliatory tone in his voice. He’d take it.

“Too long,” Sam told him, voice shaking. When Dad reached out and pulled him into a hug, Sam felt the tears return. He could count on one hand how many times Dad had shown affection and having him hug him, hand stroking his hair, telling him in his own way that he was sorry things had went down the way they did between them…This was everything Sam had dreamt about and never thought would happen.

Dad pulled away first and he cupped Sam’s face in his large, calloused hands. Sam was shocked to see tears in the old man’s eyes. They smiled at each other, Dad patting Sam’s cheek once, twice, before he let go.

“Dad, the demon…” Dean began.

“I’m workin’ on that,” John interrupted him. “Don’t worry about that. That’s not why I’m here.”

Sam and Dean shared a look and while Dean just looked confused, Sam had an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“Dad?” Dean prompted.

John sighed, shaking his head.

“Dean, I know…I know that there was no other choice,” he said, understanding it and actually genuinely thankful that Whitelighters existed to save his son from a death he didn’t deserve. “You were dying. I’m glad she could heal you. But now you’re fine. You need to get the hell out of here.”

Dean frowned at him. “Dad, I’m not going anywhere,” he shook his head. “Lynnie…She has a kid. _I_ have a kid.”

John sighed again, squeezing his eyes shut. He had never wanted this to come to light, but here they were. Dean needed to understand and for him to do that, John needed to come clean.

“I know, I got your message,” John told him. “Dean…You shouldn’t be here.”

“I shouldn’t be with my kid? With Lynnie?” Dean stared at him, incredulous. “Dad, my whole life, you’ve taught me that we should never turn our backs on family. Now, I’m telling you I’ve got a kid, and your response is ‘leave as fast as you can’?”

“It was you, wasn’t it?” Sam asked quietly. Whatever tearful reunion they’d just had…That moment was over. Sam knew now, without a shadow of a doubt, that he and Parker had been right. He also knew that this was something Dean needed to know and accept immediately. Denial was getting him nowhere. “The Hoodoo spell. The letters…You broke them up five years ago.”

John was quiet as he looked over at his younger son. As much as Dean needed to know the truth now, John still hated that it had come to this. Trust Sam to be smart enough to figure it all out, though.

“Sam, come on!” Dean snapped at him, throwing him a warning look. “We’ve talked about this.”

“No, I talked about this with Parker and Lynnie,” Sam argued back. “You’ve just been in denial this whole time.”

“Sammy!” Dean yelled. “Cut it the hell out!”

“Dean,” John interrupted them, voice quiet but commanding enough to quell Dean’s angry tirade. “Sammy’s right. It was me.”

Dean felt his entire body freeze. His heart stuttered a little as it broke. “What?” he whispered.

“I had to, Dean,” John insisted. “This…It would’ve been the end of everything. I had to.”

Sam laughed in disbelief. “You had to? What sort of an answer is that?” he demanded. “What does Dean’s love life have to do with anything? The end of everything? That’s a little dramatic, Dad, even for you.”

“You don’t understand.”

“Then explain it to us!” Sam shouted, frustration coloring his tone. “You’re always saying things like that. You’re always going on like you know better than us. How about you just tell the truth for once in your life, Dad!”

“Did you know?” Dean asked, his voice shaky and soft. He was in a state of total shock, and he wasn’t sure if he was even processing what Dad had told him, but he needed to know this.

His shocked question was enough to shake John and Sam from their argument.

When Dad only stared sadly at him, Dean asked again, pained eyes locked on his father’s face, “Did you know about Wren when you broke us up?”

He sounded like he was pleading for John to redeem himself, turn the situation around. John sighed, tired face growing more so, shoulders drooping with the weight of his guilt and responsibility.

“Of course I did,” he admitted, delivering the final blow. “It’s why I did it.”

*************************************************************************************

The title of this chapter is taken from the song of the same name by The Marshall Tucker Band. Lyrics don’t exactly fit but I was listening to it when I was editing the last part of it, so there ya go. Also, having planned Wren’s story all the way to season 14 so far, I can tell that her style of music is Country/Rock with a little Alternative Rock thrown in there. I like her choices and so far, quite a lot of them relate to her.

Also, the spell used by Lynnie and Parker here to break the Hoodoo curse on Sam and Dean is a spell from Charmed. It was used by Piper to try and break a curse put on baby Wyatt’s teddy bear. It didn’t work for her then and it hadn’t been Hoodoo then either. I added a potion for the spell since it was Hoodoo and not regular demonic magic.

The dialogue between Sam, Dean and John when they were first reunited was taken from SPN 1X16 (Shadow). In canon, that was the first time the three of them saw each other since everything started. Here, the dialogue is switched around a little bit before it diverges from canon altogether.


	3. Teach Your Children

**Chapter 3: Teach Your Children**

**A/N:** I’m really loving writing TWC but I’m getting so disheartened by the fact that I’ve only gotten one review for two chapters. Is no one else liking this story? Please leave me a review, even if it’s to tell me you hate it (just kidding, please don’t do that). I’m so darn committed to TWC, though, and I just can’t wait to get to when Wren is older.

Also, I’m so sorry that it’s taking so damn long for Dean to meet Wren.

Title of the chapter comes from the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young song of the same name.

**EDIT: HOW IS EVERYONE DOING AFTER 15X03!? ARE YOU OKAY!? ‘cuz I sure as hell am NOT doing fine.**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to Supernatural or Charmed. Just a fan playing around with the characters and the respective worlds with no monetary payout.

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**June 1994**   
**San Francisco**

“Look, bud,” John sighed. “I know you’re disappointed. But you know this is important.”

“Why can’t you go _after_ we go to the Grand Canyon?” Sammy asked, pout evident in his voice. He stared pitifully at his father, knowing even then in all of his nine-year-old genius that Dad had to leave.

“You know we can’t,” John glanced at the passenger seat and, hating himself for it, signaled his older son for help. Dean could calm Sammy down in seconds. John needed days to do the job half as well as Dean could. Time was just something he didn’t have to spare.

Dean tamped down his own disappointment to twist around in his seat, looking at Sam to give him an encouraging smile. “C’mon, Sammy, don’t be a little bitch,” he said, ignoring Dad’s disapproving throat clearing.

Sammy, fighting a small grin despite himself, muttered from the corner of his mouth, “Jerk.”

Dean grinned. He had him now. “We’ll go to the Grand Canyon when Dad gets back,” he said, knowing full well it was more than likely an empty promise – whenever Dad left them for the summer, it would take the whole three months. “In the meantime, we get to spend some time in San Francisco. You like it here. Don’t ya?”

Sam shrugged. He _did_ like it there, maybe even a little more than Bobby’s. Sure, there were probably more demon attacks at the Manor than at the salvage yard, but for the most part, he could be a normal kid, hanging out with his friends. It was also nice how hard Aunt Piper always fought for him and Dean to stay longer and have a more normal life for as long as they could. Sam always thought that she was the _one_ person Dad was afraid of – she always won her arguments with Dad.

“Now, come on,” Dean stretched his arm back and patted Sam on the knee. “Aunt Piper probably has a whole feast ready on the table.”

Lured by his grumbling stomach and the thought of Piper Halliwell’s famous meals, Sam finally relented. He grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder, dragging his duffel out of the Impala’s trunk.

“I’ll call you soon, kiddo,” John said, hugging Sam tight and pressing a kiss to that shaggy hair. His heart broke at the thought of Sam, his little boy, hating everything about his life, including his old man with the empty promises. But he needed to get this done right. If what he was beginning to uncover was true, then he needed to be on his A-game. If he ended this before it even started, then both his boys would be free to have a safe, normal life one day. “Be good for Piper and Leo, okay?”

Sam nodded and waited a little to the side as Dad and Dean had their manly goodbye – a half hug and a promise elicited from Dean to keep Sam safe at all costs. The brothers stood on the sidewalk and watched as the Impala zoomed out of sight.

Sighing, Dean clapped Sam on the back. “C’mon, Sammy,” he hiked his own duffel over his shoulder as the two of them turned around and headed towards the stairs of the Manor’s front porch. “I’m starving. Do you think Aunt Piper made pie?”

Sam rolled his eyes, watching his brother surreptitiously as his steps grew progressively bouncier the closer they got to the Manor’s front door. He was pretty sure that Dean’s obsession with Aunt Piper’s food was not the real reason he was so excited.

Bouncing a little on his toes, Dean rung the doorbell to the Manor and waited all of two seconds before the door flung open.

“Dean!”

Before he knew it, Dean had his arms full of happy teenage girl, sweet-smelling brown hair whipping him in the face. He allowed himself a small grin, wrapping his arms around her slim waist and lifting her slightly off her feet. She squeaked a little, giggling, and he buried his nose in her hair, squeezing his eyes shut at the familiar feeling of having her in his arms.

“Hey, Lynnie,” he whispered in her ear, feeling her squeeze tighter around his neck.

“I’ve really missed you,” Lynnie mumbled into his shoulder.

“Me too,” he admitted, hating it just a little that he was having such a chick flick moment, but uncaring about it even more.

An obnoxious throat clearing pulled them apart. They looked to Dean’s right just to see Sam retching playfully.

“Nice, dude,” Dean rolled his eyes, annoyed.

“Can we get inside now?” Sam retorted, equally irritated.

Lynnie smiled, a little bashful. “Sorry, Sammy,” she ruffled his hair.

Sam frowned. He’d been mostly unsuccessful in getting Dean and Dad to switch from ‘Sammy’ to ‘Sam’, but he’s drawing the line at everyone else forgetting that he’s no longer a kid.

“It’s ‘Sam’,” he insisted, scowling.

Lynnie gave him an indulgent smile, which was a little worse than being called his childhood nickname. “Right,” Lynnie urged them both inside, closing the door behind them. “Come on. Mom’s putting the pie in the oven and everyone else is already sitting down. You guys are a little late.”

Blinking as though she’d suddenly realized something, Lynnie gave Dean a questioning look, “Where’s Uncle John?”

Dean felt the corners of his mouth pulling down into a frown and stopped it immediately. Lynnie watched as Dean’s face twisted from a hurt expression to a carefully constructed mask to hide just how disappointed he felt. She felt her heart stutter in her chest. He was getting better at perfecting that mask and she hated that he was. She knew he did it partly to protect Sammy. Despite his insistence that he was now Sam, he was still just a kid. John forgot that a lot, but she knew Dean would always see him as such and he’d always want to make sure Sam was protected, even if it was from feeling abandoned by their dad.

If Dean could show him that it didn’t affect him, then maybe Sam would feel less terrible about it. Frankly, Lynnie thought that his logic was flawed but Dean was Dean. Nothing could persuade him once he’s made up his mind.

“Dad had to leave,” Dean told her gruffly. “It’s fine. Just means more food for us two, right, Sammy?”

Sam glared at his older brother and chucked his duffel and backpack by the coat rack near the door. “Is Peyton here?” he asked Lynnie, eager to get out of the immediate Dean-and-Lynnie-Show vicinity.

“Yeah, she’s in the conservatory,” Lynnie said, watching as Sam disappeared in Peyton’s direction, practically sprinting away.

Dean shook his head. “Poor kid,” he lamented. “He’s just not as smooth as I am.”

Lynnie snorted, an unladylike sound that he found charming. _God I’m so whipped,_ Dean sighed heavily. “Yeah, you’re a regular Casanova,” she teased, knowing fully well that he was a charmer with the other girls.

“Only with you,” he couldn’t help but flirt, loving the way she rolled her eyes fondly.

The dining room was a chaos, as usual on a Saturday night. Aunt Piper and Uncle Leo’s family were there, of course, and so were Aunt Phoebe and Uncle Coop’s daughters and Aunt Paige and Uncle Henry’s kids. Aunt Billie – the Halliwells’ ‘adopted stray’ as Billie had once called herself – was also there, her latest boyfriend-of-the-week on her arm.

“Dean!” Uncle Leo noticed him first. With a giant, gentle smile and a clap to the back, Dean was welcomed back as though he belonged there all along. It was his favorite thing about the Halliwells’. “There you are, buddy. We were afraid you and Sam would miss dinner tonight.”

“Okay, table’s all set up,” Aunt Piper looked around frantically. “Wyatt, Chris, you’re gonna have to join the other kids at their table.”

Wyatt shrugged, as easygoing as they come, but Chris scowled up at their mother. “Mom!” he complained.

“Chris, I don’t wanna hear it!” Piper snapped at him. “There isn’t enough space! You know that!” Swiveling around to look at Dean, she asked, “Where’s your dad, Dean? I swear to God, if he’s got those disgusting mud-caked boots on and walking all over my house…”

“Mom,” Lynnie interrupted Piper’s rambling. “Uncle John left.”

Piper froze, eyes flicking towards Dean for a moment before focusing on her daughter. “What do you mean he left?” she asked through gritted teeth, her lips barely moving.

Dean gave her an ‘are you serious’ look. “I can still hear you,” he pointed out caustically. “It’s fine. He just had a really important lead on something. He said he’ll call when he can.”

“Sonofa…” Piper cursed.

“Piper!” Leo interrupted, making that weird eye connection thing that Lynnie had secretly been jealous of her whole life.

Piper widened her eyes as she tried to calm down. Taking a deep breath, she gave Dean a somewhat forced smile. “Where’s your brother, sweetie?” she asked.

As if on cue, Sam and Peyton ran into the room, giggling like the dorks they were. Dean rolled his eyes as Peyton chased Sam around him and Lynnie, a book clutched in Sam’s hand that was probably hers to begin with. Honestly, put those two around each other and within minutes, they’re reduced to two-year-old children.

“Sam, Peyton!” Aunt Phoebe called out. “Come on, honey, time for dinner!”

Aunt Piper called for Dean and Sam to stop before they could join the other kids. “Have you washed your hands?” she asked, levelling a glare their way. “Look at you! Still wearing your coats! Go hang those up and wash your hands!”

Dean immediately followed her orders – she may not be Dad, but sometimes he thought she was scarier – but Sam grumbled a little. As the brothers walked past her, Piper pulled them short and hugged them tight.

“It’s good to see you boys again,” she smiled, as though they hadn’t constantly seen each other thanks to Lynnie orbing them back and forth all the time. It was nice, though, to have that sort of connection and Dean hugged her back, not for the first time thinking that her hugs were so damn similar to Mom’s. He could remember just bits and pieces of Mom now but even at the age of fifteen, Piper’s hugs made him feel like he was four years old again, getting wrapped in Mary Winchester’s embrace.

Lynnie had saved Dean a seat next to her, with big brother Chris on Lynnie’s other side, shooting Dean suspicious glares over her head every single time she laughed at something he said. Sam was seated next to Peyton, telling her all about the latest adventure in geekdom. It was one of those rare times that Dean felt he could let go of the burden of protector, and it was a huge burden lifted off of his shoulders. He loved Sammy – he’d kill for the kid, he’d die for him – but it was a big stressor. Pushing that responsibility off to the Charmed Ones, Dean felt like he could just be a boy, slowly falling for a girl.

The fifth time he’d made her laugh, Chris popped his head around to peer at the both of them, half glaring, half curious. “What’s going on here?” he demanded.

Lynnie scowled at him. “Mind your own business, Christopher,” she warned. “Or I’m telling mom about you and Gina Lowell.”

Dean watched as Chris turned a bright red and spun around to talk to Wyatt instead in the span of half a second. “Whoa,” he chuckled. “What’d he do with Gina Lowell?”

Lynnie grinned, a sly smile on her face. “Can’t tell you,” she said loftily. “I need that leverage for blackmail.”

Aunt Piper had made a roast dinner, with all the trimmings. Honestly, with the restaurant, the club, her duties as a Charmed One and maintaining her role as matriarch of the Halliwell family, Dean didn’t know how she managed to find the time and energy to make dinner for everyone once a week. It must be a magic thing.

“C’mon, let’s sneak out to the backyard,” Lynnie suggested once dinner was cleared away and dessert was served, piling on an extra slice of cherry pie on Dean’s plate.

“Yeah, let’s do that _before_ Chris comes back,” Dean said warily, eyeing the stairs in case the temperamental middle child came back from the bathroom early. 

Wyatt, hearing their plans, leaned in from Lynnie’s right side. “You guys go ahead,” he encouraged. “I’ll keep Chris busy.”

Lynnie beamed at her older brother, leaning down to give him a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, Wyatt! This is why you’re my favorite.”

Dean followed Lynnie through the crowd of Halliwell-Matthew-Jenkins in the dining room. Dinner was technically over and the some of Lynnie’s cousins had abandoned the kiddie table to play together in the sunroom. He caught sight of Sam and Peyton bent over some book, nerding out together, and smirked to himself. _Go Sammy,_ he thought, silently cheering on his little brother.

Dean and Lynnie sat together in the garden loungers in the backyard, the lush garden foliage making him just a tiny bit uncomfortable. The Halliwell Manor was always a tad girlier than he was used to, blooming flowers and all.

“Your mom makes the best pie,” Dean said contentedly, shoveling the last of his dessert into his mouth and putting his plate aside. He leaned back on the lounger, sighing as he gazed up at the skies, sprinkled with stars.

Lynnie grinned, doing the same on her chair. “She’ll be thrilled to know,” she said genuinely. Despite being raved about by critics, Piper Halliwell takes criticism and compliments from her loved ones more seriously.

“How’s the road treating you?” she asked, turning her head sideways so she can look at him.

He shrugged. “Same old, same old,” he replied nonchalantly.

Knowing that it would have been easier pulling teeth from a wendigo than get Dean to willingly talk, Lynnie prompted, “Uncle John’s still letting you go on hunts with him?”

Dean looked almost offended as he replied defensively, “Of course!”

He had done his hunter’s share since he was eight years old. He’d trained how to use a gun since the age of six, learned the demon exorcising spell by heart at the age of seven and at the age of eight, Dad had deemed him ready enough to start pulling his own weight. He’d started off slow – research, weapons duty and working on their fake IDs. Lately, though, Dad had started taking him on active hunts, going to haunted houses and investigating werewolf attacks. Just the week before, they’d been up in Iowa, working on a vamp nest. Dean had beheaded three of those sons of bitches himself. He was incredibly proud of himself and it showed as he relayed the hunt to Lynnie.

Lynnie listened with a half smile, curling up on her side with her arm tucked under her head as she watched him tell his story. As much as Sammy hated the life, Dean loved it. She couldn’t help but think, especially during moments like these, that he was born to be a hunter, a hero.

“Sammy seemed really down when you guys showed up,” Lynnie observed once he was done telling her how it felt to chop off a vampire’s head in graphic detail. “Is everything okay with him?”

Dean sighed, his smile flickering. “Yeah,” he drawled, the word drawn out. He turned to his side, facing Lynnie and mimicking her position. “Dad promised to take us to the Grand Canyon once school let’s out. But…he got called away at the last minute. Sammy loves it here. He’ll get over it.”

Lynnie felt herself frown in sympathy. “I’m sorry,” she said sincerely. “That sucks.” She knew better than anyone how it felt to have awesome plans being ruined by evil monsters showing up unexpectedly.

Dean shrugged. “Sammy knows what dad does is important,” he insisted. “We’ve been to the Canyon before a couple of years ago. It’s not like we’ve never seen the place before. And he loves it here. He’ll be fine.”

“Yeah? What about you?”

Dean scowled at her. “I’m not a little kid,” he said sternly. “So we don’t get to go now. We’ve got our whole lives to go again. I’m not gonna be a chick about not getting to see a bunch of rocks and riding a farty donkey.”

“Wait…what?” she laughed at that strange imagery.

He flopped over onto his back, not wanting to see more of Lynnie’s knowing look or explain that last, embarrassing bit. She was the only one who could tell when things really bothered him, seeing past the mask he was getting so good at putting on. He was furious with himself for feeling disappointed when he knew even better than Sam how Dad didn’t have a choice.

Lynnie frowned as she watched him lay back, eyes closed, trying so hard to block out the rest of the world so he could put up that wall of his. She didn’t need to be an Empath to know he felt just as down as Sam. He changed the subject quickly around to her, asking her what she’d been up to lately, listening to her ramble on about school crap with his eyes still closed. 

Lynnie felt the spark of an idea blooming into a plan and, when her Mom had called them both back inside to say goodbye to her cousins and aunts and uncles, she saw a way to try and make that happen.

Parker hugged her goodbye before she was set to leave with her sisters and parents. “It’s a good thing you’re gonna do, Lynnie,” she beamed. “They’ll love it.”

Validated by her psychic cousin, Lynnie went about setting the first part of her plan into motion. She insisted on Sam and Dean showering before her. They needed a hot one more than her, having been on the road for so long. While Sam holed himself in the room he shared with Dean whenever they stayed over, headphones on and undoubtedly brooding to some emo music, Dean took the first hot shower he’d had in weeks.

Lynnie waited for the click of the bathroom door before she sprinted to her parents’ door, ensuring the door to Sam and Dean’s room was closed on her way. Knocking quietly, she waited until her Mom turned to look at her, pausing in her nightly ritual of brushing her hair before bed.

“Hi, sweetie,” Piper invited her only daughter in, watching curiously as Lynnie stepped inside the room and closed the door behind her. “What’s up?”

“Mom, Dad,” Lynnie said, catching sight of her dad putting away folded laundry into her parents’ shared dresser. “Can we go somewhere? On a trip?”

Leo smiled at his youngest. “Well, we _were_ planning on taking you kids to Maine for a little fishing,” he mimed throwing a line in and reeling it.

Lynnie made a face and Piper laughed. “Well, maybe _you_ were planning on that,” she teased.

“Can we go to the Grand Canyon instead?” she asked, eyes wide and pleading.

“The Grand Canyon!?” Piper yelped, and Lynnie shushed her, not wanting Sam to overhear. “Honey, a trip like that needs advance planning.”

“I know, I know,” Lynnie sighed. “But Uncle John was supposed to take Sam and Dean there for vacation, but he had to leave instead…I thought we could bring them there. It’s stupid…”

Her spirits started to flag…She’d thought that Parker’s words had resulted from a vision of them all at the Canyon…But maybe she’d been wrong. Maybe _Parker_ had been wrong, though that didn’t seem very likely.

Piper and Leo shared a look, sad and angry at the same time. _Damn you, John,_ she thought angrily.

Those boys deserved better than a father more obsessed about hunting down demons than taking care of his own kids. Breaking a promise like that might not seem like much to John now but Piper knew that all the little things would pile up and blow up in John’s face someday. If she had to guess, she would say that Sam would be the one to end up with the detonator. He hated that John was a hunter and he hated everything about life on the road. Poor boy just wanted a normal life. Dean rolled with the punches, excusing away John’s behavior at every turn, but Piper knew that was its own kind of burden.

A grim determination settling over Leo, he said to Lynnie, “Look, we can’t promise anything. Like Mom said, a trip like that needs planning months ahead. But I’ll tell you what, I’ll look into it tomorrow. And even if the Grand Canyon isn’t an option, I promise we’ll go somewhere for a trip, Sam and Dean included. Okay?”

Lynnie beamed at her dad, darting forward to hug him unexpectedly, arms wound tight around his middle. “Thanks, dad,” she reached up to press a kiss to his cheek. “Night, mom. Night, dad.”

“Goodnight, honey,” Piper waited until Lynnie had stepped out of the room, the door closing behind her, before turning to look at her husband. “John Winchester sucks,” she complained.

He huffed out an unexpected bark of laughter. “Well, we’ve known that for years, sweetheart,” he joked.

“No wonder Sammy was in such a bad mood earlier,” Piper mused.

“It’s ‘Sam’ now, apparently,” Leo reminded her lightheartedly. The ten-year-old had taken to insisting this new name change to everyone at dinner every five minutes. It had been endearing to the adults and had caused the rest of the kids to tease him mercilessly by calling him ‘Sammy’ every other sentence.

Piper sighed, putting her hairbrush away and walking over to the bed. “Do you think we can go to the Grand Canyon?” she asked Leo skeptically, pulling back the covers and fluffing the pillows. Leo did the same for his side of the bed.

He shrugged. “I think I remember Henry telling me something about a cousin who works at the park,” he said slowly, trying to rack his brain. “I’ll call and ask tomorrow.”

“Hmm,” Piper smiled, slipping into bed beside her husband and giving him a kiss of gratitude. “Let’s hope he can pull some strings. Those boys deserve something good.”

As an unspoken rule, neither Lynnie nor her parents let anything slip to Sam and Dean. They didn’t want to get the boys’ hopes up and then crush it for a second time in just as many days.

Wyatt took Sam over to Phoebe’s house, where he was more than content to hang around with Peyton while she got started on her summer reading. Lynnie urged Dean to go with her to Magic School – she still had one exam left before Magic School lets out for the semester, and Dean was welcomed to hang out in the garden at the school while she sat for it. He wasn’t all too thrilled about laying about in a garden but Aunt Paige, working tirelessly in her office to grade the last paper her class had handed in before summer break, gave him permission to hang out in the armory instead. There were some pretty awesome weapons there and he messed around with some of the shields and swords that came from King Arthur’s court, swinging them around as he fought invisible foes. He sincerely hoped Sam never found out about it.

While Sam and Dean were out of the house, Leo called up Henry and asked him if he knew anyone who could help them get a last-minute trip in to the Grand Canyon.

“Ooh, I’m not sure, it’s pretty rough right now since it’s the summer holidays,” Henry winced as he shuffled papers around on his desk at the station. An officer came by and dropped another stack of files that he’d forgotten he’d ask for on his desk. With a sigh, Henry threw his hands up and gave up on organizing his desk. He sat back down in his chair with a heavy sigh. “I’ll call up my cousin, though. If there’s any last-minute cancellations, I’ll ask him to give me a call.”

“Thanks, Henry,” Leo smiled, grabbing his robe and shrugging it on. Call made and favor asked, there was nothing left to do but go to Magic School to attend his duties there.

As luck would have it, there _was_ a last-minute cancellation – a party of ten was supposed to make it for a family trip and had to unexpectedly cancel due to a medical emergency. Henry called Leo back during lunchtime and asked him if he could make it to the Canyon in three days and, without even asking Piper, he agreed to it.

Meeting his wife at Halliwell’s for lunch, Leo greeted her with a kiss and a box of chocolates. She was going to be _pissed_ they had to leave so soon.

“Leo! We’re gonna have to rush to get ready!” Piper scowled once he finally told her.

He winced. “I can call and cancel?” he offered. “We can see if they have any other dates for us to go?”

Piper shook her head, already dashing away from their table to head into her office. “No, no, let’s not risk missing out on this trip,” she sighed. “I’m sorry, this is what I asked for. Thank you, honey.”

He smiled, helping her shrug into her coat and handing her bag to her. “Can Greg handle the restaurant while we’re gone?” he asked, referring to her manager.

“For what I pay him, he better,” Piper said darkly. She handed over her keys to him and asked him to pull the car around from her parking spot out front while she let Greg and the other staff know about her last-minute family plans.

The two of them rushed to get everything ready for the trip. By the time the kids came home for dinner, the only thing left for them to do was to pack their clothes.

“You’re a miracle worker,” Leo breathed, tired from all that running around all over town but pleased that they managed to get so much done. “Angels have nothing on you.”

Piper grinned, rolling her eyes. “Well, angels aren’t mothers to three plus two kids,” she pointed out. The doorbell rang. “And that must be dinner.”

“Such a good provider, too,” Leo teased, only half kidding. “How’d I end up so lucky?”

“I just have low standards,” Piper joked back, paying the pizza delivery boy. “Hey, wait for the others,” she scolded Leo as he reached into the box at the very top and pulled out a slice to eat while she was still carrying them to the dining table.

“Sorry, I’m starving,” he shrugged, mumbling around a mouthful of hot cheese and pepperoni.

“Mom! Dad!” Chris yelled. “We’re home!”

Piper winced. “Christopher Perry Halliwell!” she snapped. “What have I told you about yelling in the house?”

Looking a little chagrined as he stepped into view with Sam in tow, her middle child replied, “Not to do it unless there’s a demon attacking. Sorry, Mom.”

“Pizza!” Sam’s eyes lit up as he spied the food on the table, rushing forward to grab a slice.

“Whoa, whoa!” Leo held up a hand to stop him and Chris. “Wash your hands first, please. We’re not wild animals.”

Rolling his eyes, Chris grabbed the younger boy by the back of his hoodie and pulled him out of the dining room and up the stairs. Piper shared a commiserating look with Leo, shaking her head while he laughed. Piper felt her heart expand for the Winchester boys. Her house was chaotic enough on an average day – all manner of evil beings crashing down the door and three magical children didn’t make for a peaceful environment – but with Sam and Dean around, it felt like their family was complete even more so than usual.

“Guys, listen up,” Leo called out as their ‘three plus two’, as Piper had put it, battled over pizza. “Your Mom and I have a surprise for all of us.”

“Is it a good surprise?” Chris asked warily. “’cuz the last surprise was Melinda, and we all know what a disaster _that_ turned out to be.”

Glaring at her brother, Lynnie kicked him hard across the table.

“Ow!” Chris yelled, almost seeing stars at the pain. Lynnie kicked like a dude. “You know what? Just for that…”

The pizza slices on her plate disappeared in a swirl of light and reappeared on his plate.

“Hey!” Lynnie complained, standing up. “We’re not supposed to use magic against each other! House rules!”

“Well, I didn’t use them on you,” Chris shrugged, unconcerned. “I used them on your pizza!”

“Chris!” Piper scolded, eyes wide and lips pulled into an angry frown. He sighed, orbing Lynnie’s share back on her plate. “A little quiet, please. This is important.”

Standing at the head of the table and watching over their kids with loving eyes, Piper and Leo reached for each other in a loving side hug, arms wrapped around each other’s middles as they delivered the news. “We are going for a little family trip,” Piper said. “Destination a surprise, but I’m pretty sure you’re all gonna love it.”

Lynnie caught her parents’ eyes and widened hers in shock. Was this what she thought it was? At her dad’s subtle nod, Lynnie had to almost bite her tongue to keep her squeal of happiness down. How had they managed to do it this fast? Just who did they have to bribe? A crossroads demon?

“Are Sammy and I gonna stay at Aunt Phoebe’s?” Dean asked curiously, feeling disheartened at having to say goodbye to Lynnie so soon after getting into town. How long was the trip for? He hoped he’d get to see her before Dad came back to town. He was usually gone for months in the summer but who knew with him? He was an unpredictable man, driven only by the hunt. He could be back next week, for all Dean knew, demanding his sons come with him immediately back on the road.

Piper furrowed her brows together, heart breaking a little at the surety in his voice that he and Sam would be left behind. Even after almost a decade of knowing each other, Dean was still feeling like an outsider. A quick glance at a suddenly moping Sam told her that the younger Winchester felt the same.

“Oh, honey, no,” she smiled gently at him. “You and Sammy are a part of this family. You’re coming with us.”

Sam looked up, that hopeful glint in his eyes bringing tears to hers. “Really?”

“Really,” Leo confirmed. He was the nearest to Sam and reached out to pat him on the shoulder. “Pack your bags again, kiddo. We’re leaving in three days.”

“Three days?” Wyatt felt his jaw drop. “Wow, this _is_ a last-minute thing, isn’t it?”

Leo grinned at his observant son. “Yeah, we just heard of a cancellation and when it was offered to us, we took it,” he gave him an abridged version of the truth. “It’s sudden, but it’s a trip that we know we’re all gonna love. Mom and I have Greg and Aunt Paige covering the restaurant and Magic School. We’re good to go.”

“If it’s a surprise, how do we know what to pack?” Chris complained.

“I’ll tell you what to pack,” Piper placated.

Dean, having gone quiet since Piper and Leo told them he and Sam were coming with, asked in a voice so soft, they might have missed it if Wyatt and Chris were any louder, “What if Sammy and I don’t have the right clothes?”

“We’ll go and get some, then,” Leo shrugged.

His easy answer made Dean’s heart skip a beat. It had always seemed so easy for Piper and Leo to just accept the brothers into their lives and ensure they were a part of the family. A part of him was always uncomfortable with that – all he really knew was John Winchester and his way of raising a family. The Halliwells were far more touchy-feely than that. But a much larger part of him was always humbled by their acceptance.

As though she knew exactly how he felt and what he thought, Dean felt Lynnie’s hand slip into his below the table. He glanced over at her and his heart stuttered again at the sight of her pretty smile. He squeezed her hand tight, enjoying her presence more and more each time they were together.

The next few days were spent getting ready. Neither Sam nor Dean had weather appropriate clothes, so Leo took them shopping for them. By the time Friday came around, all five kids – even eighteen-year-old Wyatt – were buzzing with excitement.

“Bags packed, everything shut down, everyone’s got everything they need?” Piper called out, a little harassed, as she checked for anything they might have left behind.

Chris gave his mother an unimpressed stare. “Mom, if we forget anything, we can literally just orb back to get it, y’know?” he reminded her, sarcasm heavy in his tone.

“Watch it, young man,” Leo warned, and Chris was reminded that his dad was actually a seventy-year-old man in a younger body.

“Okay, Lynnie already knows where we’re going so she can orb Dean and Sam,” Piper said, ignoring father and son. “Wyatt, come over here so we can tell you. You’re gonna need to orb the rest of us.”

Chris scowled. “Why don’t I get to know?” he asked, jealous that he was the only Halliwell not in the know.

“You get to be surprised,” Leo consoled. “Isn’t that better?”

Piper whispered the location to Wyatt, watching with a smile as his eyebrows shot up and an excited glint came to his eyes.

They orbed to Tusayan, starting their family trip together. It was the first trip that Sam and Dean had ever taken with the Halliwells – John hadn’t been eager for the boys to leave San Francisco before but Piper had heavily laid on the guilt when she’d called him to inform him that she was taking the boys to the Grand Canyon and she wasn’t asking permission. Dean especially reveled in the helicopter ride Henry’s cousin had arranged for them to have to sweep over the Canyon. They had two cabins. Sam and Dean shared a room, as did Wyatt and Chris, in the cabin they shared together. Lynnie was the only one who had a room to herself, which she enjoyed immensely, sharing a cabin with her parents.

They hiked and took scenic car rides from one rim to another and back again, camped for a few days and enjoyed a beautiful sunrise together at Grandview Point.

“The view is so beautiful,” Lynnie smiled, feeling the early morning breeze washing over her like a soothing balm. She loved dawn the most and sunrises, as her dad was fond of telling her when she was younger, was just better to watch with people you loved. Sneaking a look at her family around her, Dean standing so close to her she could smell his cologne all around her, she couldn’t help but think Dad knew what he was talking about.

Dean turned his eyes away from the gorgeous view in front of him to look at her, her skin glowing in the early morning sun. Peering over at Sammy, wide smile plastered on his face as he stood in between Piper and Chris, all traces of sadness and disappointment long gone, he was suddenly overcome with affection for Lynnie and her family. Reaching out between them, he grasped Lynnie’s hand in his and squeezed. She looked over at him in shock, a shy smile on her lips as she entwined their fingers together.

On their last night at the Canyon, after a family dinner together, Dean and Lynnie sat out on the bench outside her cabin. The rest had gone inside to get ready for bed – they were orbing home pretty early the next day. Chris had been a paranoid, overly protective big brother but with Wyatt keeping an exasperated eye on the middle Halliwell kid, Dean and Lynnie were relatively left in peace. They sat together, Dean’s arm around her shoulders and Lynnie’s head laying on his shoulder.

He felt luckier and more blessed than he’d ever been his whole life. He didn’t know what he’d ever done to deserve her or her family, but he wasn’t going to waste a single second of it.

“Lynnie?” Dean spoke up, needing to acknowledge what she’d done for him and Sammy. She deserved it.

“Hmm?”

“Thank you,” he said sincerely, unable to remember the last time he had anything to thank someone for.

She lifted her head to peer at him curiously. “For what?” she asked, confused.

The fact that she didn’t seem to think she needed any thanking for this trip that he and Sammy, in all likelihood, would have never had if not for her…He shook his head, amazed.

“For getting us here,” he clarified. She looked a little surprised. “Oh, come on. I tell you about Dad cancelling on us and the very next day your parents spring a surprise trip to the exact same place? I may not be a straight A geek but I’m smart enough to know you had something to do with it.”

She looked a little guilty but laughed at his words. “Yeah…I’m sorry I told them,” she apologized. “I know we made a promise to keep what’s between us just ours…But I thought it might be nice if you and Sammy could actually come here.”

“Nah, it’s okay,” he waved off her unnecessary apology. “Sammy had a lot of fun here. So did I.”

Lynnie smiled, pleased, and laid her head back down on his shoulder, snuggling close for warmth. “I’m glad,” she murmured. “It’s been a really cool trip.”

“Yeah,” he agreed. “I think Sam just wanted to remember what it was like, being normal. The last time we came here…I think that was also the last time we were really happy together, all three of us.”

Lynnie closed her eyes, saddened for both the Winchesters. She understood that Uncle John wanted to get the demon who’d killed his wife. She would imagine that’s what anyone would do in his situation. But she hated that Sam and Dean were being neglected as a result.

“I’m glad I got to share this trip with you and Sam, Dean,” she told him.

Dean’s heart was pounding as the sweet smell of her shampoo enveloped him. Like every single time he’d seen her for the past year, she made his head spin and his heart beat faster than any marathon runner’s. He knew that no other girl had come close to making him feel this way. He’d had crushes on other girls before, flirted with them and even kissed his fair few after his first kiss with Lynnie two and a half years ago. None of them made him as heart-pounding-head-dizzy-palms-sweaty nervous as Lynnie did.

Wanting to kiss her again – maybe even do it better this time, not that their first time hadn’t been pretty damn perfect as it was – Dean gathered up his courage.

“Hey, Lynnie?”

She lifted her head to look at him again, their faces just inches apart. Her beautiful brown eyes widened as she read the unexplained look in his eyes.

“Dean?” his name came out a whisper.

“Can…Uh, can I kiss you?” he asked, almost hazy green eyes flickering between her eyes and her lips.

She blushed a pretty pink, teeth sinking into the corner of her bottom lip. Shyly meeting his gaze, she nodded her consent, blushing even brighter as he smiled, leaning in.

_Please, God, don’t let Chris burst out here and interrupt this,_ she prayed.

All thoughts of her brother – and pretty much everything else – flew out of her mind the moment his lips met hers. One arm curled around his neck as her hand stroked the soft baby hairs at the base of his neck. Her other hand gripped the lapel of his jacket, drawing him even closer. Dean wrapped his arms around her waist, eyes flying open in surprise when he felt her tongue tracing his bottom lip. He parted his lips and felt the tentative sweep of her tongue in his mouth.

Feeling like he’d won the lottery and found himself in his own perfect Heaven, Dean smiled into their kiss. The trip, Sammy happier than he’d ever seen in his life and now this heart-pounding kiss with Lynnie…For once, Dean was entirely glad Dad had left them with another family while he chased after his demons.

******************************************************************************

**January 8th, 2006**   
**San Francisco**

_When Dad only stared sadly at him, Dean asked again, pained eyes locked on his father's face, "Did you know about Wren when you broke us up?"_

_He sounded like he was pleading for John to redeem himself, turn the situation around. John sighed, tired face growing more so, shoulders drooping with the weight of his guilt and responsibility._

_"Of course I did," he admitted, delivering the final blow. "It's why I did it."_

“What?” Dean breathed, shock and betrayal coursing through him like a live wire. His voice was weaker than it had been when he’d been on the brink of death. This was the one person he trusted the most – even more so than Sam – and here he was, crushing Dean’s steadfast belief that he’d never hurt Dean like this like it was nothing. 

John shook his head, guilt tamped down, buried deep beneath self-righteous anger. “You know what we’re up against, Dean,” he said angrily, glaring at his eldest son. “You know how dangerous our lives are…You know now that the thing that went after your mom is a demon. A _highly_ powerful demon. Are you really going to stand there and tell me some innocent kid is better off with you in her life?”

Dean, unable to answer, stared at his father. His words failed him, and his knees seemed like they were following close.

Sam, outraged on Dean’s behalf at the audacity Dad had had in interfering to such an extent, stepped forward. “Dad, that wasn’t your choice to make!” he protested.

“Oh, what, it was Dean’s!?” John waved that aside, incredulous. “He was barely a kid himself when that baby was born! He was too blind in love! He would have never made the right call.”

“The right call!?” Sam shook his head. “Dad, this is his kid! His daughter! And, in case you’ve forgotten, her mom is a Halliwell. A _Charmed One_, no less. Her entire family is made up of paragons of good, protective White Magic. Demons would have never stopped coming for her, anyway. She’s in no less danger as a Halliwell than she is as a Winchester.”

John rolled his eyes. “She would have been double the target,” he insisted. “You know this, Sam. You’re letting emotions cloud your judgement. This is exactly why I did what I did. Dean would have been worse.”

“Well, he would’ve cared enough about his kid to stick around and protect her, care for her,” Sam couldn’t resist the jab. “I know that’s a hard concept for you to grasp, dad–”

“Hey, I did this to _protect_ Dean – and the kid,” John immediately disagreed, voice rising along with his anger. “None of this would have even been necessary if Dean had just been careful. If you ask me, that kid should have never been born!”

“Hey!” Dean shouted, surprising himself with the anger he felt at Dad’s words. Dad and Sam jumped at the loud yell, turning to look at him. “Don’t talk about her like that.”

He was shaking in his fury. It scared him. He had never been this angry with his Dad before. The obedience he’d had engrained in his every cell was overpowered by the love and protectiveness he felt over Warren – and Lynnie, the mother of his child. The only other person he’d felt like that over was Sammy. It was a little disconcerting to feel this way about someone else. And to feel like he had to protect them from his _Dad?_ God, he was all over the place.

“Don’t talk about my daughter like that,” he said to John, knee-buckling rage making his voice shake. His eyes were sharp and angry as he stared down the man who’d raised him with an iron fist. “I would have protected her. Me _and_ Lynnie. We would have done anything and everything to protect her.”

“And you would have failed,” John told his son. “I’m sorry, but that’s the truth. If you love this child, if you care about that girl in there, you’ll walk away and you’ll never look back.”

Dean was reminded strongly of a talk John had tried having with him when he and Lynnie had first started dating way back when, soon after their Grand Canyon trip when they were fifteen. He’d noticed Dean doing nothing more than flirting with other girls, never anything more, and he’d noticed that Lynnie was orbing more and more to ‘study’ with Dean…He was a smart man and had deduced that Dean was suddenly ‘in a relationship’ with the first girl he’d ever loved. He’d demanded that Dean break things off then, too, not wanting his son to be distracted. He was demanding the same thing now.

Dean couldn’t do it then and he sure as _hell_ couldn’t do it now. He wouldn’t.

Whatever the demon was who had come for Mary Winchester, Dean would never let the thing touch Warren.

“I love them,” he admitted to Dad honestly. Five years apart couldn’t erase his love for Lynnie, no matter how hard he’d tried. Sure, he’d buried it enough to carry on as the Winchester Casanova, but one look at her again and those feelings had slammed back into him like a Mack truck. “And I’ll never turn my back on them.”

John shook his head, disappointment clear on his face. “Then you’ve doomed them,” he warned his eldest.

“I’ll keep them safe, Dad,” Dean promised, voice thick with emotion as he silently begged Dad to be on his side now.

John glared at him. “You think that now, but you’re being arrogant, Dean. You can’t imagine how powerful The Demon really is…” he sighed, turning away from his sons to head for the door. “Don’t believe me. Ask Sam.”

Dean’s eyes widened at John’s words, his eyes flicking over to where his younger brother stood. Sam looked like he’d been run over, tears spilling over from his reddened eyes. He couldn’t believe that Dad had just casually tossed in a mention of Jess’ death like that, right in front of Sammy.

“Where are you going?” Sam asked angrily, shocked that John was walking away.

“If I can’t convince you, then I’m not going to stick around to watch as you let that kid of yours die,” John growled out. “When The Demon comes for her, don’t come crying to me, Dean.”

“You’re just gonna leave?” Sam demanded, getting in Dad’s way as he went for the door. “Dean and I have the right to go after The Demon, too. It went after our Mom. It went after Jess. We have just as much right–”

“_Don’t!_” John shouted, quelling Sam’s angry tirade. Just one word from the older man had Sam feeling like a disobedient six-year-old all over again. “Don’t talk to me about your rights. Not when you’re stupid enough to stick around here.”

Eyeing both his sons with frustration, John said quietly, “I knew I was right keeping you out of this hunt.”

The door closed behind John as he left the apartment. The silence that ensued was deafening.

“I can’t believe it,” Sam huffed out in incredulity, shaking his head and wheeling around to look at Dean. “I can’t believe he just left! Are you kidding!? Five months we’ve been searching for the man! He shows up just to give us some lame beatdown and now he’s just gone again!?”

Dean, barely taking in Sam’s words, stared at the closed door, speechless.

“Dean!” Sam prompted, impatient. “Should we go after him?” he asked. As angry as he was with Dad, he wanted The Demon more. If Dad really had a solid lead on it…Sam wanted to be a part of that, too. He _needed_ to be a part of it.

Dean turned sluggishly towards Sam, blinking owlishly at him. “Go after him?” he repeated, looking a little lost.

Some of Sam’s anger and impatience dissipated at the look on Dean’s face. Sam had been falling out with Dad on a steady basis since he was eight years old. Dean…He’d been Dad’s perfect little soldier. Sam knew how much it must be killing him to have Dad betray him like this.

“Dean, you okay?” he asked worriedly. Honestly, he’d never seen Dean so spooked before over anything – not even when he’d found out he was the father to a five-year-old little girl just a day ago. When Dean just continued staring at him listlessly, Sam clapped him on the shoulder in support. “Dean?”

“I…Uh, I can’t,” Dean cleared his throat, answering Sam’s question belatedly. “I can’t go after him. Not right now. Sammy…I…I need…”

A part of him wanted to rebel, to say ‘screw it’ and chase after Dad with or without Dean. He was so close to avenging Jess. He needed to do this. But looking at his older brother, the guy who’d always been the rock for him, the guy who’d always been there, strong and an unyielding force of protection…Sam knew he couldn’t let Dean spiral, leaving him on his own to deal with this new fallout.

“Look, it’s okay,” he urged Dean gently. “We’ll find Dad again.”

“We didn’t find him,” Dean argued. “He found us. And then he left us…”

Sam had to concede there. “I know,” he said grimly. “We’ll work this out, Dean. Right now…Right now you gotta focus on Warren and Lynnie. Okay?”

“I could have been there for everything,” Dean looked at him with tortured eyes. “I could have…”

“Everything okay in here?” Lynnie interrupted, tentatively stepping out of the kitchen and approaching the brothers. John had left by slamming the door loud enough to make the two women, trying desperately not to overhear too much of the yelling in the living room, jump. The brothers had been suspiciously silent since and she’d grown impatient waiting for some kind of sign that Dean was okay.

One look at that tormented look in Dean’s eyes let her know that no, everything was not okay. For the millionth time in her life, Lynnie cursed John Winchester.

Sam cleared his throat, speaking up when it looked like Dean wouldn’t. “Yeah, I guess,” he gave her a forced smile. “Dad…Uh, he left.”

Lynnie shot Dean a concerned look. “Did…Did he say anything?”

“Not really,” Sam lied, unsure if Dean wanted Lynnie to know for sure that Dad had been the one to screw things up between them and deprive their kid of a father for five Goddamn years. “He…He just said that he was gonna go after The Demon on his own.”

Lynnie frowned. “What? Why?” she asked, confused. Parker, stepping out of the kitchen just in time to hear Sam’s words, shared a bewildered look with Lynnie. “He could’ve come to us. We could help track it down if he’s got some kind of link to it.”

Sam shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said, frustrated. Why did Dad have to be such a lone wolf about everything? Now that they were back in the Halliwell orbit, they could have really utilized whatever Dad knew and applied it to good use with the Halliwell’s powers backing them up.

Parker, noting Dean’s emotional distress, eyed the elder brother warily, “Did he say anything about the letters?”

Dean’s eyes locked with Lynnie’s and she knew that they had been right in their deduction. She could almost feel his heartbreak at such a big betrayal from his Dad, a man he’d idolized his whole life.

“It was him, Lynnie,” Dean choked out, blinking back angry tears. Sam looked away, unable to handle seeing his brother this way. “He sent the letters. He got the Hoodoo curse put on us. He…He did everything.”

She stepped forward, hand reaching out for his and grasping tightly. He closed his eyes, feeling her support giving him back some of his strength.

“Did he say why?” Parker asked quietly, looking to Sam to answer. Dean’s emotions were too strong, rolling about in crashing waves, and she knew he’d need a few moments to compose himself.

“He said he did it to protect us all,” Sam laughed harshly. “Said that The Demon would’ve come for Lynnie and Wren if he hadn’t done what he had.”

“Well, that’s just stupid,” Parker scowled, hands on her hips. “Demons were literally bursting through the Manor during the delivery. We handled it then and we would’ve handled it if The Demon had come for us.”

Dean felt a momentary burst of jealousy at the confidence in Parker’s voice, at the complete certainty she had that together, she and her family would defeat anything that came their way. He wished to Heaven and Hell and everything in between that Dad had had even a smidgen of her faith. If he’d had, they wouldn’t be here now, half a decade lost.

He felt a gentle tendril of Parker’s power reaching out to him, calming him down, and this time, he let her do so without fighting it. His heart was racing far too painfully, and his head hurt. A little magical interference could be a good thing at this point.

Lynnie urged him to rest up for a while and, for the first time in recent memory, Dean took that advice. He downed a couple of painkillers for that horrid migraine he was rocking and washed it down with a shot of whiskey. Lynnie watched as he leaned back on the couch, eyes closed as he promised to rest for just a short nap, knocked out almost immediately. She sat on the edge of the couch by his head, fingers reaching out to brush at his hair. He shifted in his sleep, frown lines still prominent. She wondered if she should cast a dreamless spell on him so he could at least have a few hours of peace.

“Okay, honey, I think I’m gonna take Sam to Magic School,” Parker interrupted her quietly.

Lynnie sucked in a deep breath as she turned to look at her favorite cousin. “Magic School?” she asked, brows furrowing.

Parker nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. “I think we’re gonna just do some research on his visions there,” she explained. She’d fully intended to wait until the next day to check on anything the school had to offer on the subject, but things changed. She felt that Dean needed some time alone with Lynnie – he didn’t need her or Sam around to interrupt his meeting with Wren later, anyway. And Sam was just thrumming with nervous energy; she needed to distract him with something or his anger at his dad would just overtake him and allow him to do something monumentally stupid.

“Oh,” Lynnie blinked at her. Dean had confided in her regarding Sam’s visions the night before. It was stressing both brothers out. It was good that Parker was out to help. “Okay.”

“Call if you need anything,” Parker reached out to hug Lynnie for a moment. “And, trust me, he’s distressed now but when he meets Wren, it’ll all work itself out.”

Lynnie watched as Parker took hold of Sam’s hand and Beamed them away, the younger Winchester brother giving her a supportive smile before he disappeared. Lynnie sighed, leaning forward with her elbows on her thighs and dropping her head in her hands. God, what a mess.

She took the opportunity while Dean napped to do a couple of chores. She did the laundry, mopped and stress baked three different kinds of pies – both Dean and Wren would be thrilled by their favorite dessert for dinner later that night.

Her mother called just as she put the pies in to bake.

“Hi, sweetie,” Piper Halliwell’s voice over the phone was enough to take away half of Lynnie’s stresses away. Her mother was so good at being a source of comfort, even when she didn’t know she was doing it. Lynnie hoped she could be the same for Wren.

“Mom, hi,” Lynnie sighed.

Piper paused in the kitchen of the Manor, where she was working on dinner before Wren came home from her camping trip with Leo. Her husband and grandbaby had been roughing it for days – they deserved some comfort food their first night back. Piper was making Wren’s favorite – shepherd’s pie – and Leo’s favorite – roast chicken. She’d missed them both terribly. Now that all the kids in the family were all grown up, Wren was the only baby she had left to spoil. She felt a little melancholic sometimes thinking about when her boys were gonna give her grandbabies too, but for now, Wren was more than enough.

Hearing the note of confusion and despair in her daughter’s voice, Piper stopped her chopping and dicing and wiped her hands clean.

“Honey, is everything okay?” she asked, worried. Surely, if there had been something serious, the gazillion psychics they had in the family would have warned her. Still, she had to be sure. She had to ask. She was Lynnie’s mother, after all.

Lynnie bit her lip, peering out of the kitchen into the living room where Dean was still napping. God only knew how he hadn’t been woken from his ‘light nap’ at the sound of her puttering about the apartment – he’d always been a super light sleeper. John had made sure of that. According to the patriarch of the Winchester family, if a hunter is a heavy sleeper, he was also a dead hunter.

“Mom, I need you to not panic or get angry,” she warned, knowing that Piper was quick to overreact. And, frankly, this was a big thing to happen out of the blue.

“Uh-oh.”

“No, this is a good thing,” Lynnie smiled, realizing that she meant that completely. She hated everything Dean was going through and she was devastated for him, but she knew now without a single doubt in her body that Dean was meant to know Wren and that they’d both be happier being in each other’s lives.

“Dean is here.”

Piper, about to take a swig of iced tea, froze. “Dean?” she asked, shocked. Blinking rapidly, she felt anger rising in her chest. “Dean Winchester!? Why, that no-good son of a–”

“No, mom…Mom!” Lynnie interrupted Piper’s angry tirade, a little touched by her ire on her behalf, even if it was misplaced. “There was actually a misunderstanding…”

Lynnie explained the whole situation to Piper, who listened in shocked silence. Cursing John Winchester, her other full-time job apparently, Piper shook her head at the utter absurdity of the whole thing.

“I can’t believe it,” she said finally as Lynnie ended the entire story. “So, he’s gone now?”

“Yep. Came for a total of ten minutes to chew Dean out for ever coming back here, told him what a disappointment he was for not bailing right this friggin’ second, and ran out of town like hellhounds were on his tail,” Lynnie rolled her eyes. No one could accuse John of not being the most dramatic man who ever lived.

Piper huffed incredulously. “Hellhounds? Try a mob of angry witches,” she snapped. “I woulda blown him up if I’d seen him.”

“Yeah, killing an innocent, that would’ve happened for sure,” Lynnie joked.

Piper smiled a little. “I’m so sorry, honey,” she said quietly. She knew now that without John’s interference, her baby girl would have spent the past five years with the man she loved by her side. They’d probably be married by now. She felt a little pang of sorrow at the thought that she’d been deprived of seeing her daughter in a wedding gown, saying her vows and being blessed in Christian and Wiccan rites.

“Me, too,” Lynnie sighed. Seeing movement coming from the couch, Lynnie spoke quieter, “Mom, listen…Dean…He wants to meet Wren. He wants to get to know her.”

Knowing that Lynnie would have ensured Dean was all in before allowing him to be a part of her daughter’s life, Piper nodded, sighing. “Well, how about this…You and Dean come over for dinner tonight,” she suggested. “Your dad and Wren will be back within the hour.”

Lynnie bit her lip as she thought it over. She wanted nothing more than the comfort of her parents and the Manor. She wanted to hold her baby close and hug her tight…But would Dean and Wren be better off seeing each other in person for the first time away from prying eyes?

“Do you think that’s a good idea?” she wondered aloud.

“Wyatt’s not gonna be back from his shift at the hospital until tomorrow morning,” Piper encouraged. “And Chris is keeping a twenty-four-seven guard over his charge in San Jose. Look, once Wren is in the shower, I’ll tell Dad everything. You know he’ll understand. He won’t hold a grudge on the wrong person. Dean’s in the same boat as you.”

“Lynnie?” she heard Dean call out, his voice roughened by sleep. She saw him sit up on the couch.

“We’ll be there at seven?” she whispered to her mom.

“Perfect.”

“Lynnie, you here?” Dean called out again, head twisting in her direction just in time to see her hang up the phone. “Who was that?”

“My mom,” Lynnie smiled, walking over to the couch, sitting next to him. “I was just…Filling her in.”

Dean nodded, the slightly peaceful look on his face disappearing as her words reminded him of everything he’d found out in the past few days.

“Sam?”

“Magic School,” she replied. “Apparently, Parker’s helping him sort out his visions.”

Great. Another thing to worry about. Another mess to figure out.

Dean sighed, shaking his head and pressing his fingers to his temples. He was gonna need stronger painkillers, that was for damn sure.

“Wait…Your mom,” he murmured, remembering what Lynnie had said about where Wren was. “Is she back? Wren?”

“No,” Lynnie smiled. “She and my dad will be back there soon, though. You wanna get dressed? My mom invited us over for dinner.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Really?” he asked, sarcasm coming out sharp to hide his nerves. “She invited over the guy who ran out on her pregnant daughter for dinner?”

“She knows the real story,” Lynnie promised, seeing right through his bravado. “And she’ll tell my dad…Come on…When was the last time you had a Piper Halliwell dinner?”

He cracked a small grin at that and his rumbling stomach, working on cue, made the both of them laugh, breaking the tension.

Still not entirely sure of dinner with the parents at the Manor, Dean took a shower to wash away the day’s stresses and got ready in his least wrinkled clothes. He waited anxiously for Lynnie to step out of her room, pacing the living room a couple of hundred times.

She dashed out through the living room and into the kitchen at a steady pace, her heels click-clacking on the hardwood floors. “Gimme a minute,” she called out. He could hear her rifling through things in the kitchen.

His eyes drifted towards the grandfather clock. It was five minutes to seven. Five minutes to his introduction to his own kid. Good God, how do people become parents every day? He was losing it. Breathing deeply a few times, Dean took to humming Metallica under his breath.

“Are you humming Metallica?” he could hear the amusement in Lynnie’s voice.

“Calms me down,” he answered, swiveling around to face her. The sight of her stopped him cold. She looked so goddamn beautiful. _God_, what the hell was wrong with him? She wasn’t even wearing anything revealing – a white lacey top with long sleeves and a collar, paired together with jeans – but she was so pretty, her hair falling around her in cascading red waves, and she smelled so good…Dammit, she could turn him into a nervous teenage boy in the blink of an eye.

She peered at him curiously. “You okay?” she asked, stepping even closer to him and putting a hand on his arm.

He coughed a little, shaking himself out of his thoughts. “Yeah, just nervous, I guess,” he said, which was a truth, too. “Wait…Pie?” he looked at the dish in her hands. She smiled. Taking a deep whiff, Dean guessed, “Apple?” At her confirming nod, he pumped his fist in the air, “Yes!”

Lynnie rolled her eyes. “Alright, then,” she laughed. “You ready?”

They disappeared from the living room in a swirl of white and blue lights, reappearing a moment later in the Manor’s living room instead. Dean blinked away the last vestiges of the lights he could still see and shook his head. It had been a _long_ time since he’d travelled anywhere by orbing. It was a head rush.

“Mom? Dad?” Lynnie called out, walking towards the dining room. The dining table had already been set for five people and the food was laid out, ready for them to eat. Lynnie smiled when she saw the shepherd’s pie. Bless her mother. She set the pie next to the green beans just in time to see her mother walk out of the kitchen.

“Lynnie!” Piper greeted her daughter with a loving hug and a smile. Eyes drifting to the young man next to her, Piper could almost see the nerves coming off of him in waves. No need for Empaths here. Feeling a surge of sympathy for him for what his own father had put him through, Piper stepped forward and brought him in for a hug. He was tense, prepared for her to reject his presence, prepared to be ostracized, but she held on tight until she felt him slowly relax and hug her back. She pulled back to smile at him, warm and welcoming. “Hi, Dean.”

“Piper,” he greeted her, voice rough and eyes suspiciously bright. “Thanks for inviting me.”

“Of course, honey,” she patted him gently on the cheek. “It’s been a while…”

“Yes, ma’am,” he agreed grimly.

“It’s good to have you back,” she told him sincerely, and saw the last of his anxiety leave him.

Lynnie smiled gratefully at her mother before looking around. “Where’s Wren and Dad?” she asked Piper, snaking a dinner roll to munch on.

“Hey, manners!” Piper scolded her. “They’re just upstairs. Wren insisted on putting their pictures of their trip in her photo album immediately. He’s helping her choose.”

Lynnie smiled fondly. She loved how much her parents adored her daughter. They were amazing parents and even more incredible grandparents. Pressing a kiss to her mom’s cheek, she said, “I’m gonna go get her. Dean, wait here, okay? I’m gonna try and ease her into this.”

He nodded, nerves returning full force, his eyes following her as she disappeared up the stairs. Palms sweating way too much, Dean wiped them on his jeans, swallowing hard.

Piper watched him, her own anxieties about having this wild card of a man back in her daughter’s life slowly leaving her. In some ways, he was still that same boy she’d known and loved from the moment she’d met him. She could tell that he would be a good father to Wren.

A few moments later, Leo came down the stairs, his eyes falling on the hunter in his dining room. He’d been livid when he’d found out the boy was back, but now, after hearing what had really happened, he just felt sympathy for him. He couldn’t imagine not being a part of his kids’ lives. He’d had moments like that when Wyatt and Chris were children but thank Heavens it hadn’t lasted five years.

He couldn’t even imagine not being there when his own little girl had been born.

“Dean,” Leo stretched out a hand for a handshake and pulled him in for a surprise hug when Dean grasped his hand. “Sorry. We’re a family of huggers.”

Dean laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck when Leo let him go. “Right. I almost forgot,” he gave Lynnie’s dad a forced smile. “Listen…I know Lynnie already told you about what happened…”

“It’s not your fault, son,” Leo said, fully accepting.

“I’m still so sorry,” Dean had to get it out. He had to say it. Nothing in the world would erase his guilt for not being there for his own girl and their kid for five whole years. He’d carry that guilt to his grave. “I can’t tell you…”

“There’s nothing to forgive, Dean,” Piper reached out to rub his arm comfortingly.

“I should have tried harder.”

“Against a Hoodoo curse you didn’t even know about?” Leo pointed out logically. “Kid, even us magic veterans here were caught off guard.”

“Yeah, John really knew what he was doing,” Piper jibed bitterly. Catching the stricken look on Dean’s face, she bit her tongue. Despite what he’d done, she knew Dean still loved his father. It was just who he was – a loyal son, through and through. John didn’t deserve him. “Sorry.”

Dean shook his head, a bitter smile on his lips. “No, it’s, uh, it’s okay,” he said quietly. He wanted to say more – what, he couldn’t be sure. He felt like he was beating around the same damn bush for the past few days and he was tired already.

Before anyone could utter another word, however, they could hear voices drifting down the steps.

“And we caught a fish, but I made Grandpa put him back in the river ‘cuz his family would miss him too much,” a tinny little voice was saying.

Dean could feel his heart start to pound almost unbearably fast and hard, trying to burst out of his chest.

Leo, seeing his blown away expression, clapped him on the back. “Breathe, son,” he advised.

“And Grandpa found berries and we ate them! It’s okay ‘cuz it’s not bad berries. Then we had a campfire and Grandpa taught me songs,” the voice chattered on.

“Wow, that sounds really fun,” Lynnie was saying, her voice animated. “Sweetie, listen, mommy has to tell you something…”

The voices drew nearer, and so did the footsteps. Dean moved almost not of his own volition, his mind sluggish as his legs brought him to the foot of the stairs.

“Mommy had a little surprise when you were on your camping trip,” Lynnie’s voice was drawing nearer.

“Is it a baby?” Wren sounded absolutely thrilled.

This drew a startled laugh from Lynnie. “No, honey, you’re all the baby I need,” she joked.

“Mom,” Wren said warningly. “I’m not a baby…Is it a puppy?”

Dean could see them now. Lynnie was holding Wren’s hand as they slowly made their way down the stairs. She was such a gorgeous child, even more so than she had seemed in the pictures he’d pored over. Her hair, a lighter shade than Lynnie’s true hair color, was the same shade as his when it got sun-bleached. Her pretty green eyes were locked on her mother as opposed to watching where she was going. She was dressed in cargo pants and a t-shirt that read ‘BOC Tour 1982’. His heart seized almost painfully at the sight of her. She was _his_ and he couldn’t wait for her to love him back.

“No, it’s…Well, it’s someone I think you’re gonna be excited to meet,” Lynnie said nervously, unsure exactly how to break the news to her five-year-old.

She didn’t have to worry, however. They’d reached the last landing and Wren had caught sight of the man standing at the bottom of the stairs. Her eyes widened as she recognized him from the photos Lynnie had shown her all her life.

“Daddy!?”

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I totally did not expect for the flashback scene to be so damn long. I thought it would be five pages, max, and it ended up being SEVENTEEN WHOLE PAGES…What the actual crap?? The flashback ended up being longer than the ‘present day’ portion of the chapter. I’m a mess.

By the way, they keep referring to Azazel as ‘The Demon’ because I don’t think they’ve seen his yellow eyes yet. And they’ve obviously not found out what his name is or his true identity as a Prince of Hell. God, there’s so many ripples just from this one demon alone, isn’t there?

I keep feeling guilty as I write about John. I feel like I’m bashing him but, really, that’s not what I’m trying to do. I just think this is canon for him if this had really happened. He was a harsh man just trying to protect his family. He was blinded by vengeance…Is anyone offended by my portrayal of John? I think I’m offended, to be honest.

Also, I need your help. Has anyone been to conventions ever?? I’m planning on going next year and it’s my first time. I’m from not-America and it’s the biggest trip I’d ever be taking on. I’m confused and lost and overwhelmed by all the planning. Anyone can help me out? I have no idea what to expect at a convention…I’m so nervous.

Please leave a review to tell me what you thought of this chapter.

Thanks in advance!  
Lorelai.


	4. When Dean Met Warren

**Chapter 4: When Dean Met Warren**

**A/N:** This has taken way too long for us to get here. I can't believe Dean's about to meet his daughter – finally.

By the way – I've had this chapter up on FFNet for...Almost a year?? I just got frustrated posting on two different sites so I stopped. Then life got super hectic and I just stopped posting at all. But we are now in the last leg of it. The cast and crew are halfway done filming the FINAL EPISODE of the FINAL SEASON and I'm just so heartbroken. So, I went back to my baby, TWC, hoping this would soothe some of the pain away.

Hope you enjoy this chapter that's more than forever late. Forgive me and leave a review to tell me what you think of it?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything Supernatural or Charmed related. Just playing with their worlds and their characters for no other gain than an emotional one.

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_ **May 1995** _   
_ **San Francisco** _

"I want you back here by eleven," Piper said, tone stern as she looked at the two eager kids in front of her.

Lynnie deflated at her Mom's words. "Eleven!?" she scowled. "You might as well be calling us second graders."

"If you're in second grade, you'd be in pajamas by now," Piper quipped back. "And not giving me anxiety about the crazy kidnappers and serial killers and…"

"Uh, Aunt Piper?" Dean interrupted the rambling woman. "You don't have to worry. I'll watch out for Lynnie."

Lynnie's outage turned towards Dean. "Excuse me?" she asked. "I'm _clearly_ more than capable of watching out for myself. Hell, maybe I've even got a little juice left over to watch out for _you_."

"Can we do the whole female empowerment thing later?" Dean asked, impatient. "We're gonna miss BOC if we just keep _talking_ about seeing BOC."

Mother and daughter shared a knowing look and an eye roll at his impatience. "Alright, alright," Lynnie shrugged on her coat and grabbed the new purse she'd gotten on a shopping trip with Aunt Paige just the other day to go with her outfit for the concert. "Let's go already."

"Finally," Dean muttered without any heat, throwing Aunt Piper a grin and opening the Manor's front door for Lynnie.

They headed out to the 1967 Pontiac GTO out front. It was a beauty – Dean would know. He'd helped Lynnie picked it out way back when they were six years old. It had been the thing that had bonded them when they'd first met.

Uncle Leo had this tradition – whenever his kids were six years old, they get to pick out a car that they wanted to fix up. They then saved up for it with Leo and Piper's help (they'd hand out money for chores done and doubled up whatever was saved at the end of every month). They would buy the car they wanted once they had enough and would then fix it up together with Uncle Leo. It was something his dad had done with him when he was alive, and he'd brought that tradition with him into his next life as a Whitelighter-turned-mortal-again. Wyatt and Chris had both picked out Mustangs, but Dean and Lynnie had found this beautiful dark metallic blue GTO rusting away in Bobby's Salvage Yard. Bobby had set it aside for Lynnie for when she'd saved up enough to buy the thing (he'd never admit it, but Dean knew he'd lowered the price considerably).

She'd saved up enough by the time she was thirteen years old and had spent the next few years slowly fixing it up, ready for her to drive by the time she got her driver's license.

She had only been able to drive it legally for a few months now and she was even more in love with the car than before. She hadn't named it the way Dean had named Baby, but she loved her car as much as he loved his dad's. Since last year, however, Dean had been driving the GTO whenever he came to town, driving it down backroads Lynnie would orb them to and getting around small towns where he could use his fake I.D. and not get called out for it by Uncle Leo and Aunt Piper. This was the first time he was driving the car with his real I.D., fully legal and with approval from Lynnie's parents.

"Hi, there, sweetheart," Dean greeted the car with the reverence, running a hand down the side of her and admiring the metallic dark blue finish. Lynnie rolled her eyes fondly as Dean slipped into the driver's side and patted the dash lovingly. "Been a while since we were together."

Lynnie made a face at Dean. "Do you want me to leave the two of you alone?" she asked, half-jokingly.

"Could you?" Dean quipped back, throwing her a goofy grin to soften her glare.

"Weren't you the one who was complaining about us being late?" she asked, snapping on her seat belt. When Dean turned on the engine and started to drive, she halted him. "Whoa, whoa, hey. Seat belt first, James Dean."

He grinned a little at the nickname and reluctantly snapped his seat belt in place, feeling a little awkward with it restricting him since neither he nor Dad used seat belts in the Impala. Checking the mirror, Dean pulled out of the parking spot, catching sight of Aunt Piper watching them from the Manor's front porch.

Lynnie was a fan of classic rock – not as big of a fan of Dean, of course, but she was starting to think that no one could be, not even Uncle John. She'd gotten him a late birthday present to attend a Blue Oyster Cult concert while they were in San Francisco the moment she'd learned that Sam and Dean were coming by a little earlier for their summer stay at the Manor.

And now, here they were. On their way to see BOC live. Her mom totally unaware that they needed a little help getting into the concert thanks to some fibbing and a little misdirection spell Lynnie had casted to keep her parents from looking up where the concert was and finding out the truth.

"Okay, lemme see it," Lynnie said eagerly as Dean drove down the street in her car.

"See what?" Dean teased, knowing fully well what she wanted. She smacked him on the arm, and he pretended that it hurt. "In some states, that's considered abuse, y'know," he joked.

Lynnie deflated a little, glaring at him. "Dean!" she whined a little.

"Okay, okay," he reached into his jacket's inner pocket and pulled out two I.D.s. One of which was his – his favorite one, which stated that he was Dean Page, aged 21 – and the other was hers. She grinned, reading the words printed on it. It declared that she was 21 and that her name was Melinda Larkin.

"Oh, my God!" she gushed. "This is so cool! You couldn't have used a better picture, though?" she frowned, looking at her tiny picture, captured when she was mid-blink.

"Oh, come on, no one has great I.D. pictures," he said, stifling a laugh. She held up his own I.D, which had him looking like a bad boy rocker, and he shrugged. "Don't hate me 'cuz I'm beautiful."

She rolled her eyes again. "I _cannot_ believe that we're about to sneak into a club to see BOC live," she shook her head. "Let's just hope that my brothers don't orb in mid-concert to 'check in' on me."

"You mean, you hope _Chris_ doesn't orb in mid-concert," Dean corrected knowingly. Ever since Dean and Lynnie had been hooking up every time they saw each other since last year, Chris had been getting increasingly paranoid and overprotective. Lynnie had had several arguments with him already regarding silly little things like boundaries and privacy. "Don't worry. Wyatt's got him distracted tonight."

Lynnie narrowed her eyes at Dean. "Did you do something, mister?" she wondered suspiciously.

Dean shrugged nonchalantly, unwilling to tell her that he'd struck a deal with the eldest Halliwell kid to keep Chris away. He'd had to swear on Baby that he wasn't out to 'corrupt' Lynnie, just to have a good time rocking out at the concert. It was nice to know that Wyatt was on his side, even if Chris thought he was out to give Lynnie a brand spankin' new bad girl rep.

The concert was twenty minutes away from the Manor, held at an over-twenty-one club called Slim's. Dean left Lynnie's car a few blocks down near the park, opening the passenger's side door for Lynnie and guiding her out. She felt a little giggly – he wasn't really the gentleman sort of fella, but he _did_ have his moments. Those moments, rare as they were, never failed to make her swoon like an idiot.

They walked hand in hand past an incredulously long line of people, all waiting to be let into the club. Lynnie watched in barely concealed awe as Dean led her to the front of the line, heading straight for the bouncer. They exchanged one of those _nods_ that Lynnie had been noticing Dean exchanging with a couple of other guys recently and suddenly, the bouncer was letting them in.

She wanted to ask him how he'd done that, but the opening band was already in the middle of a song. They joined the dancing crowd on the dance floor, squeezing past a good chunk of people, and made it to the front of the stage. It was a fast song, and Dean immediately did his goofy head-bopping dance 'move' the moment they found a good spot to stand at. She stifled her laughter and the need to tell him just how adorable his one weird dance move was – he'd never do it again and sometimes she just needed the laugh. She danced with him, laughing freely as he grabbed her suddenly to sway her a little rigorously.

The song came to an end and the band switched to a slower one. Dean shot Lynnie an uncertain grin – his head-bop move didn't work so well with a slow song. Beaming at him, Lynnie took his hands from her hips and wrapped his arms around her waist, her own wrapping around his. There wasn't an inch of space between them. Lynnie leaned her head on his chest, smiling to herself when she felt him slowly relaxing as they stood together, wrapped in each other's embrace and swaying slightly to the music. She absolutely loved being with him like this. He might not be as tall as Sammy was turning out to be (at the age of twelve, he was already almost as tall as Dean. Lynnie could tell he was going to shoot up and be taller than his older brother one day) but he was _not_ a short guy. Being wrapped up in his arms made her feel like she was so very protected – even if, as a future Charmed One, she didn't need anyone protecting her from anything.

Dean shivered a little as he felt her hands smoothing down his back. God, did everything she did turn him on? It was starting to feel more and more like it. She rested her cheek against his chest, and he felt his desire turn into something a little less leery. She felt so good in his arms and he dipped his head to bury his nose in her hair. It smelled like that flowery shampoo she used. She tilted her head back to smile at him, and looking into those deep brown eyes, he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he'd give his life for hers in a heartbeat. It was a little disconcerting to realize, especially in a club waiting to see BOC, but there it was. He loved her. Loved her just as fiercely as he loved Sammy and Dad, but in a much, _much_, different way. He was as loyal to her as he was to them. He wanted everything with her. Somewhere along the way, when he wasn't looking, she'd turned her very presence into home for him.

Feeling a little uncomfortable with all the emotional revelations he was having, at a BOC concert no less, Dean leaned down a little more and captured her lips with his. Her eyes fluttered in surprise at the sudden kiss but she leaned into it not a second later. He tasted the cherry flavored chap stick she wore underneath her lipstick. His hand reached up to card through her soft brown hair and cup her jaw, their kiss slowly deepening and getting more passionate by the second.

The band broke out into a faster tempo song and the crowd around them, previously mellowed out, immediately burst into raucous cheers, dancing to match the music. Someone jostled them with their too-vigorous moves, breaking their kiss. Dean grinned at Lynnie, who blushed, butterflies fluttering in her stomach. They'd been getting more and more hot and heavy each and every time they saw each other, to the point where Lynnie had actually gone to her mother to ask about…certain rites of passages. That had been an embarrassing moment, but it had been informative, _that_ was for damn sure.

There was a little break between the opening band and BOC coming on. Dean reluctantly peeled himself away from Lynnie's warm embrace, taking her hand and leading her to the bar. Lynnie, eyes widening, kept herself partially hidden behind him. She didn't want her nerves to show and get the bartenders suspicious. The good news was that there were so many people clamoring for the bartenders' attention that she was easily overlooked. Dean emerged from the crowd of club-happy people with two beers in hand, a sly smirk curled on his lips. She took the proffered chilled drink and gave him a kiss in thanks when saying the word didn't really get through to him with all the loud background music going on.

BOC was _amazing_.

Lynnie couldn't remember a time she'd had more fun. It was insane seeing them perform live. Dean had her laughing the whole night as he got way into it, his head-bopping getting lower and more vigorous. They screamed along to the words of every song. Dean managed to get them more beers and Lynnie even got courageous enough to get a round for them on her own. She was afraid that she didn't look twenty-one but the bartenders were way too busy to even look at her face for longer than half a blink. When she'd gotten back to him, he'd apparently befriended a couple of guys near to where they were standing. She smiled at the sight of them laughing together – Dean looked so carefree, like he was just a regular guy, out enjoying a concert with his girl. Like he was entitled to friends and concerts and a normal life. She wanted that so much for him. He was usually so reserved, so on edge, thanks to Uncle John. It was nice to see him being able to let it all go for a couple of hours. She was a little surprised that he was getting along with other people, but she guessed being around others who loved the same kinds of music he did was a little different than trying to play nice with the kids at school.

During a band break, she tried something the girl next to her had ordered – something called a Long Island iced tea. Man, that was _something_. She danced and sang and screamed and cheered and snuck into the ladies' room with Dean to make out intensely.

By the time they left the concert, it was twenty minutes to their curfew. They were too pumped to care, BOC having ended on a high note. Dean's new buddies were excitedly talking to him about a car show one of them was entering with his old man. Dean was telling them all about his dad's '67 Impala and how, if he had Baby with him, he'd enter and win by a unanimous vote. Lynnie had befriended one of Dean's new friend's girlfriend, a punk rocker chick by the name of Amethyst.

"My parents are hippies," Amethyst rolled her eyes as she explained her name, tucking a strand of purple hair behind her ear. "Go figure."

"Well, at least you got a cool name out of it," Lynnie consoled with a grin. "Imagine being a Melinda."

"I'd rather be a Melinda than an Amy," Amethyst retorted. "It's what everyone but my parents call me. Apparently, my full name's just too much of a hassle to say." Amethyst's eyes drifted to Lynnie's necklace, locking on the pendant hanging from it. "The triquetra," she said approvingly. "You a spiritual one, Lynnie?"

Lynnie blushed, hand reaching up to grasp the pendant with her family's symbol on it. "A little," she admitted vaguely. "It's just something we pass down in my family."

"Cool," Amethyst grinned. "Not to be totally stereotypical or anything, but I'm spiritual too. Not a hippie, mind you, but I can't say I don't believe in free thinking."

"Just not free love?" Lynnie teased and the two shared a laugh.

Feeling Dean sidling up to her, she turned to smile at him when he slung an arm loosely around her shoulders. "We should get going," Dean said, eyes a little hazy from all that beer he'd drunk earlier.

Lynnie shot a glance at her watch and sighed. "Yeah, my parents are gonna freak if I'm late," she said.

Amethyst gave them a disappointed look. "You sure? 'cuz some of us were thinking of grabbing a bite to eat and hang out," she said. "We're gonna go to Carly's."

Dean groaned. Carly's was a hole in the wall, but it served the best cheeseburger he'd ever had in his life. And the pie was second only to Aunt Piper's. Suddenly, all that alcohol he'd drunk made him thirsty for a milkshake and his stomach was grumbling at the thought of food.

Lynnie gave him a knowing look, snorting a little at the desire written clearly on his face. "You want food, don't you?" she asked, grinning.

"I _am_ hungry," he admitted. "Drank a lot of booze…Danced to a lot of music…I need to recharge, babe."

Rolling her eyes, she sighed. "Okay, well, I'm gonna need to get back to the car and call my mom," she said. "She'll blow us up if I don't let her know."

At Amethyst's look of confusion, Dean gave her a reassuring smile, "Figure of speech," he explained, tugging on Lynnie's hair as she winced at her slip of the tongue. "Listen, we'll meet you guys at Carly's. Gotta get the car first."

They said their goodbyes to the first couple of teenagers Dean could actually stand to be around for longer than five minutes.

"Getting a little reckless there, sweetheart," Dean jibed. Lynnie frowned. His stiff posture as he led them back towards her car didn't match his teasing tone and she knew instantly that his shield had snapped right back up. He was on alert for anything that might be a threat to them – and, thanks to her speaking-before-thinking slip-up, normal kids were a threat to them now. "You gunning to start the next witch hunt?"

She grinned sheepishly. "Sorry," she shrugged. "I think all that beer's got me all tipsy."

He eyed her, a little amused but clearly not enough to snap him out of his super-soldier funk. "Clearly," he drawled as they reached her car. He sighed, taking the keys out and unlocking the car. "Look, I'm not really that hungry so why don't we just head back home?" he suggested.

She pouted, hating that her one moment of recklessness was ruining this for him. It was a once in a blue moon thing to have him enjoy his time with Normies and she wanted him to continue having fun, spend some time at a normal get-together with some new friends, talk about music and classic cars and devour a pretty fantastic cheeseburger, if she had to admit.

"C'mon, she didn't even think anything of it," she cajoled, fisting the front of his shirt in her hands and backing him up so that he leaned against the side of the GTO. "And I'm hungry now…Could use a really big milkshake, too."

He gave her an annoyed glare, halfway between aroused and on edge. "How do I get turned on by you talking about food?" he asked, shooting the question to the skies and throwing his hands up in frustration.

She grinned, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek. "Lemme just call Mom and tell her," she said, turning away to open the door to the passenger's side. She bent and stuck half her body in the car, rummaging in the glove compartment until she got her phone. Dean, as red blooded as the next guy, couldn't help but let his eyes wander to the sight of her lower half sticking out of the car. He grew twice as aroused as he was before and, God help him, he couldn't calm himself down as he listened to her conversation with Aunt Piper.

"It's just a couple of kids from the concert, Mom," Lynnie said placatingly, trying not to give away the fact that those 'kids' were college-aged and legal. "We're gonna go to Carly's for a bite to eat…We're kinda hungry from all that jumping around and screaming."

"Uh-huh, I bet," Piper replied, levelling narrowed eyes at the man standing in the kitchen of her ancestral home. "Well, take your time, honey. There's no rush."

Lynnie paused, blinking rapidly. Did her mother just tell her that there was no rush to their curfew. "Mom?" she asked, worried. "You okay?"

"Yeah, of course. I'm fine," Piper grinned a little at the ire thrown her way.

"You're not…Is there a demon there?" Lynnie asked suspiciously.

"What?" Piper laughed. "Sweetheart, if there was a demon here, I'd just blow it up. Don't worry so much. I'm just enjoying some alone time with your dad."

Lynnie felt her expression turn into a disgusted scowl. "Ugh, Mom, ew!" she complained.

Piper tilted her head to the side and smiled at her daughter's adolescent mannerism. "Listen, I'm gonna go. You and Dean just have fun at Carly's, okay? See you when I see you!" Piper hung up the call over her daughter's protests, hoping that the girl was smart enough to stay out for long enough to delay the inevitable.

Facing the glowering hulking mountain in front of her, Piper blinked innocently and asked, "Oops, was there a rush for Dean to get home?"

John sighed, rubbing a hand over tired eyes. "Piper…" he growled out, irritated. "I need to get the boys back on the road. I've got a –"

"A real lead," Piper finished for him knowingly. He'd had about a million of those in the span of time they'd known each other. "Yes, I know, John. But it's nothing that can't wait until tomorrow."

John started to argue but Piper held up a hand. "I don't want to hear it, John Winchester," she snapped. "Sammy's sleeping and Dean's just had his first night out with kids his own age…Or any age, for that matter. You are not going to ruin all of that by appearing out of nowhere and dragging them back on the road at eleven frickin' o'clock at night!"

John threw a frustrated glance Leo's way, but Piper's devoted husband only smiled genially, holding up his hands in surrender. "Hey, I don't make the call in this house," he said cheerfully, more than okay with it after knowing and loving such a headstrong woman for the past twenty-four years.

Piper grinned lovingly at her husband, causing John to roll his eyes at the display. A huge part of him ached something fierce – Mary used to look at him like that – but he kept that hidden under tightly packed layers of irritation, anger, determination and vengeance. It's worked for the past twelve years. It's got no reason to stop working now.

"Give 'em a day, John," Piper sighed when she saw he wasn't going to budge. "At least don't ruin Dean and Lynnie's night out."

Thirty minutes away from the Manor, Dean had no clue of his father's return or the battle Piper had taken up against him to ensure he had one good memory to take with him before Dad took him and Sam away way too early.

Instead, he was focused solely on the girl he was madly head over heels for, watching as she scrunched her face up in confusion, staring at the phone in her hand. "That was weird," Lynnie said, turning to look at Dean. "And kinda super gross…Mmph, Dean!"

Lynnie couldn't help giggling when Dean snatched the phone out of her hand and chucked it carelessly into the car. She heard it land on the padded floor of the car and tried to scowl at him sternly only to have him wrap his arms around her, backing her up until she was the one pressed up against the side of the GTO, forest green eyes turning dark as he gazed down at her. She smiled, arms winding around his neck as she pulled him down for a kiss, her lashes fluttering against his cheek.

Like it always seemed to these days, their kisses quickly grew heated. She was unable to help the moan that escaped her throat when she felt his warm hand slide up the back of her shirt, fingers tentatively reaching for the bare skin at the base of her spine. Her own hands were wandering over him, her cheeks blushing red hot at the thought of them being so intimate together and her heart racing at the thought of more.

She felt unbearably hot, wanting to shed the jacket she wore, and she could feel the coil of that now familiar heat low in her belly. She and Dean had been pretty hot and heavy for a while now…They'd gone a little farther each and every time and she knew that scraping her fingernails against the baby hairs at the nape of his neck made him just a little wild, knew that he liked when she moaned his name in the throes of her passion, knew that the smell of her shampoo drove him nuts. It was the thought of his hands on her that never failed to make her crazy every time.

As he smoothed one of those hands down her back, the other wrapped lightly around her neck, she shivered in desire. He felt strong, powerful, and she knew that even though he _could_ hurt her, he never would. His lips moved from hers to trail sweet, intoxicating kisses to her ear and down her neck. Her eyes rolled close for a moment before she pulled his head back for another deep kiss. Pulling away first, she gently pushed him away, opening the door to the backseat of the GTO. Crawling inside, she beckoned him inside. He followed after her, thanking God again for the beautiful girl who could have only chosen to be with him due to some Heavenly intervention.

He eased himself inside the GTO, climbing in next to her and pulling the door shut. Eyes locked on each other, they shed layers of clothing and laid back together, Dean settling himself in between her legs. Hands smoothing down bare skin, nerves running high, Dean watched in utter fascination as Lynnie's skin flushed a pretty pink from her cheeks down to her neck and even further down.

"Dean…" she murmured, soft and breathy and pretty sounding. Heart racing, he lifted his head from her chest to meet her gaze. "Do you…" she swallowed, nervous beyond belief. "Do you have…Y'know, protection?"

She could barely get the word out, shy and anxious, but Mom had told her that if she couldn't say it, she probably shouldn't be having it. Dean nodded, having bought a box of condoms after their conversation a couple of weeks ago about maybe taking things further soon. She'd been adamant they do things 'the safe way', and he'd gone out to get some protection for them after a really awkward and confusingly arousing talk about condoms and birth control pills.

He leaned down to reach for his pants on the floor of the car, rooting in the pocket for his wallet and pulling out the condom he'd stuffed in there.

"You sure about this?" Dean asked Lynnie, silently begging all the higher powers in the universe that she wasn't about to change her mind. He'd stop if she wanted to, of course, but it would _suck_.

She grinned, pulling him in close again, unable to stop the furious blush from reemerging as she felt him hard and foreign pressed up against her. "I'm sure," she assured him, arms and legs wrapping around him and bringing their lips together for a head-spinning-heart-racing kiss.

She gasped into his mouth as she felt his slow entrance, bracing herself for the pain she knew would come. He pulled back slightly to look at her as he moved in deeper, the warmth of her body almost too damn much for him. He frowned as she winced a little, fingers brushing away the tears leaking out of the corner of her eye and leaning down to press a kiss where the tears had been.

The pain gave way to pleasure soon enough and she moaned into his mouth, gripping him tight enough to leave crescent shaped marks in his back. Losing control together, riding that high and coming back down, was the most intimate thing they'd ever done together. Lynnie kept her eyes opened, watching him getting lost to the crescendo, awed that this was happening at all. She supposed it wasn't such a big deal – people had sex every day. People lost their virginities every day. But she had never done it. She'd lost her virginity. She'd had _sex_. With Dean. He was still _inside_ of her.

Heart thudding against her chest, she bit her lip and blinked back the tears that had suddenly sprang to her eyes. If she cried after having sex with him, Dean would freak out. She was just a little overwhelmed by her feelings and, not quite ready to tell him just how much she felt for him, Lynnie swallowed her emotions back and had her eyes as dry as they could be by the time he opened his eyes again.

Smiling goofily at each other, they shared a sloppy, giddy kiss. Feeling a little uncomfortable, Dean reached between them to slowly and carefully remove the condom. She moaned a little at the feeling of him leaving her body and felt a little empty at the sudden loss of contact, but he made up for it by cuddling as close to her as he could without calling it 'cuddling'.

"Well…Didn't expect that tonight," he told her honestly.

She laughed, smacking him on the chest before covering her reddened face with her hands. "Shut up," she said, squirming a little when he pulled her hands away, holding her wrists in one hand and tucking them between their bodies. He laid his full weight on top of her, his free hand coming up to brush through her sweaty hair.

"Oh, what, you _didn't_ expect to totally seduce me tonight?" he teased.

"What? _You_ seduced _me_," she countered, an uncontrollable grin on her lips. Her eyes went soft as he returned her happy smile. He looked so carefree and happy, beautiful green eyes sparkling. She could count on one hand the amount of times she'd seen him like that in all the years she'd known him. It made him look younger. She wanted to make him smile like that always.

"Did not," he growled, nipping at her chin. "I was the very picture of innocence."

She snorted, an unladylike sound he loved. "Right," she drawled, trapped fingers tracing the bare skin of his muscular chest. "I can't believe that we had sex."

He laughed, smirking a little. "I can't believe we lost our virginities in the backseat of a car," he countered. "You're such a deviant, Miss Halliwell."

She rolled her eyes at him. "It's all your influence," she accused without heat. "I would have never done this with some nice boy from church."

He growled again, a wordless jealous sound. "Better not," he tipped her chin up and kissed her deep and slow. "You're all mine, Melinda Halliwell."

She was raised to be a feminist and she held true to that with fierce determination. She'd make an exception for this one instance.

Caught in their little slice of heaven on earth, they didn't notice the outside world until a loud rap at their window made them both jump. Lynnie screamed a little in shock, both of them looking up at the window with wide eyes.

"Oh, my God," Lynnie cringed, seeing an officer standing there, wearing his blue uniform and a scowl. Scrambling to cover herself with Dean's shirt and throwing his pants at him, she glared at the officer until he turned his eyes away. Once they were decent enough, Dean cranked down the window.

"Uh…Can I help you, officer?" he tried, his best charming smile plastered on his face.

The police officer was a little more difficult to charm than Lynnie. He glared at the two of them. "Public indecency, guys?" he raised his eyebrows. "How old are you two?"

"Oh, we're legal," Dean assured him.

"So I don't have to call your parents," the officer smiled tightly at them. "I can just charge you as adults."

Panicking, Lynnie threw her hands up, the officer freezing on the spot. Dean blinked a little when he realized that the policeman was no longer moving or talking, frozen with his mouth half open. He turned to look at Lynnie, chuckling at the fear in her eyes.

"You're laughing!?" she snapped. "We're about to be _arrested_ and you're laughing!?"

"Relax," he assured her, gathering up the rest of their clothes off the floor of the car. She shrugged out of his shirt and put hers on. Once their clothes were on in the right order, they clambered into the front seats.

"Are we seriously just gonna leave?" she squeaked. "And leave him here, frozen?"

"What? He'll unfreeze," Dean shrugged, slipping the key into the ignition and starting up the engine. "Let's just hope he didn't catch the license plate."

She watched the frozen police officer with wide eyes as Dean started driving off, the tires squealing as he sped away as fast as he could. They'd already rounded the bend when the officer unfroze. He blinked, stumbling, looking around confusedly. Lynnie pressed an unsteady hand to her lips, her shoulders shaking.

Dean looked over at her, concerned. "Hey, you okay?" he asked, his attention divided between the road and Lynnie apparently having some kind of a breakdown.

She surprised him by bursting out into belly-aching laughter. "I can't believe that just happened," she said in between breathless fits of laughter.

"Having sex or almost getting arrested for it?" Dean joked, prompting her to start laughing all over again at the absurdity of the situation. Shaking his head, a fond smile playing on his lips, he turned on the radio, Black Sabbath coming on.

They were reaching the edge of Prescott Street, impromptu cheeseburgers forgotten, before Lynnie calmed down enough to sing along with Dean in an off-key tone that even had Dean snorting in laughter. Their laughter died down as they neared the Manor and saw the black Impala sitting out front. Dean parked the GTO behind it, killing the engine.

Sitting in silence for a couple of long moments, Lynnie felt her heart twisting painfully. She knew that John had a tendency to show up out of the blue to pull them away from San Francisco just when they'd gotten a little used to being around, but it was usually a safe bet that the boys would spend the entirety of the summer at the Manor. This time around, Sam and Dean had barely been around for two weeks.

"Maybe he's just stopping by to say hello," Lynnie said quietly.

Dean shot her a look. "Dad doesn't do hellos," he said dully. "I have to get in there. Something could be wrong."

He threw open his door, and she scrambled to do the same. "Dean, wait!" she ran around the car, grabbing his sleeve and halting his trek up the steps to the Manor. "Look, I…"

Looking at her, his stress over Dad was temporarily stamped down. "I might have to leave tonight," he said softly, pulling her into his arms.

"I know," she smiled, sad that their summer was over before it could really begin. He leaned his forehead against hers. "But you'll be back."

"Of course," he promised solemnly. "And you'll orb to me all the time."

"I've gotta," was her quick reply. "Got to keep a watch on you around all those other girls. You're all mine, too, Dean Winchester."

He grinned, leaning down to capture her lips in a passionate kiss. For a brief moment, he allowed himself to feel disappointed and upset and angry that he couldn't spend the summer with Lynnie and her family. He wanted to work at the restaurant just like Aunt Piper had promised he could. He wanted to hang out with the other Halliwell kids because, strange as they were, they were the only ones he could be himself around and not feel like a total freak. He wanted to spend more time with Lynnie.

But then reality came crashing down again. Sam would be upset, too and Dean would have to be the one to convince him everything worked out the way they did for a reason. He'd have to be the buffer between Dad and Sam – _again_. He needed to pull himself together.

He kissed Lynnie once, twice, three times more before pulling away completely, turning to head up the steps. Lynnie's hand slipped into his and squeezed in comfort.

They stepped into the Manor, just to find Piper and John locked in an argument, Leo trying his best to mediate.

Sharing a look of commiseration, Dean and Lynnie made themselves known by stepping in full view of the three grown-ups, making as much noise as possible. "Dad," Dean greeted respectfully.

John and Piper immediately ceased their argument. John turned to look at his son, standing in front of him, hand in hand with Lynnie. She looked concerned, eyeing John and Dean warily and waiting for the eventual order for Dean to leave immediately. Dean himself was steeled up, the soldier that he had raised shining through. The only weakness he showed was by holding onto Lynnie's hand. John felt proud of him for being such a strong warrior – he'd need it in the coming years if the things John had been learning were true. He wasn't sure yet if Lynnie and her presence in Dean's life would mean good things or just hold him back.

"Dean, Lynnie, how was the concert?" Leo piped up, standing up and moving closer, almost shielding the two from view of Piper and John. He could already tell Piper was working on calming down, breathing deeply with her back turned to the teens so they wouldn't see just how angry she was. John wasn't bothering.

Lynnie's eyes dragged towards her father, away from the silent showdown between father and son. "Good," she answered quietly. "Is…Is everything okay?"

"Fine," John answered briskly. "Dean, get your things. We're leaving."

Dean felt his heart drop to his stomach. He'd known that this was probably the outcome of the Impala parked in front of the house, but he _really_ didn't want to leave so soon. God, he and Lynnie had barely started this summer…He wanted more time with her. And Sammy deserved some time being a normal kid in San Francisco. Well, as normal as a kid could be living in the Manor.

"Now?" Dean asked, a rare, quiet defiance. "It's just…Sammy's sleeping."

"Don't worry about your brother. I'll get him," John dismissed.

"But, we could just wait until morning…"

"Dean," John interrupted, his voice hard, a warning.

Dean's teeth clicked as he shut his mouth immediately.

"Be out in the car in ten minutes," John instructed.

Bowing his head slightly in acceptance, Dean murmured, "Yes, sir."

Dean released Lynnie's hand and, unable to look at her for fear of letting her disappointment encourage him to disobey Dad, he rushed up the stairs. He had to clear out his and Sammy's things. They kept a fair amount of things at the Manor, most of which had been bought for them by Aunt Piper and Uncle Leo, but they did have a few essentials they brought with them everywhere. Dean and Sam had been trained by Dad to pack up these bare essentials in a matter of minutes – seconds, if they have to – but Dean deliberately slowed down so that he could have a few extra minutes.

John moved past Piper and Leo to head up the stairs as well to get to Sammy.

"John," Piper called out, irritated.

"Look, I appreciate everything you do for my boys, Piper," John said heavily. "I really do. You treat them like family. I can't ever repay you for that. But final decision lies with me. You're not their parent. I am."

"Then try acting like it!" Piper snapped.

Her ire fell on deaf ears as John ignored her and took the steps three at a time and headed into Dean and Sam's shared bedroom at the Manor. He'd only been in the room a few times over the years. It just made him feel unbalanced that the boys had a room here – and another at Bobby's – when the last time he'd been able to provide a bedroom in a real house for them was when Mary was still alive.

Dean was packing two duffels as swiftly as he could and John nodded in approval before setting his eyes on his younger boy. At eleven years old, he was already almost as tall as Dean. John felt his mouth tugging up. Maybe one day, his little boy was going to tower over him. Allowing himself half a second of nostalgia, John decided to leave Sammy asleep and carry him out to the car instead. Sam wasn't nearly as light of a sleeper as Dean or John, but he wasn't as deep of a sleeper as he'd been as a young boy, either. John pulled back the covers and carried him out of the bed carefully.

"Get his shoes, Dean," he whispered to his elder son.

"Yes, sir," Dean replied automatically, zipping up Sam's duffel and getting started on his own.

As John turned to leave, Sam asleep in his arms, he caught sight of the thin wisp of a girl that was Lynnie Halliwell, half hidden in the hallway, peering into the room with sad eyes. Sighing internally, John warned Dean, "Two minutes, Dean."

He left the two lovebirds to say their goodbyes and crushed the little bit of guilt he felt at taking the boys away so soon. It was hardly going to be the last time his boys would see the Halliwells, after all. He just needed to get them to a heavily warded safe house while he went after The Demon. The Halliwells were powerful as all hell, but he couldn't risk one of the thousand demons that came crashing through their house daily to get to the boys while he went after The Demon. It could have been on it's orders that they attack. The sisters weren't infallible.

Dean and Lynnie could continue their romance _after_ The Demon was dead.

Lynnie watched John walked past her down the hallway, Sam in his arms, and turned back to look at Dean, packing up the little he always brought with him on his never-ending road trip with John and Sam.

Without turning around, Dean could tell that she was there. Every nerve ending, every cell in his body, was flaming alive, sensing her nearby.

"I'm sorry I've gotta leave," Dean said softly.

Lynnie shrugged, stepping into the room and blinking back the tears before he turned around. "Well, we knew it was going to happen, right?" she reminded him of their conversation outside the house barely ten minutes earlier. Her heart thudded at the sound of his duffel zipping close.

Dean slung his duffel over his shoulder and grabbed the straps of Sam's bag, carrying it in one hand together with Sam's shoes. Stepping close to Lynnie, he cupped her cheek gently and leaned his forehead against hers.

"I'll call you the first chance I get, okay?" he promised.

"You better," she smiled at him, stealing one last kiss before he forced himself away from her and out the room.

She didn't want to see him leave in the Impala, but she made herself go down the stairs and stand out on the front porch. Her mom came out to stand next to her, one arm wrapped around her shoulders. Lynnie leaned against her mom, letting her presence comfort her. John had already placed Sam in the car and was in the driver's seat. Lynnie watched as Dean threw the duffels in the trunk and closing it as quietly as he could. He made his way to the passenger's side of the car and opened the door. Before stepping into the Impala, he looked in her direction. He looked so drawn and anxious, worried for whatever it was John was up to that had him rushing back for the boys so much earlier than planned. She knew then that despite not wanting to see him drive away, she'd made the right choice. Dean deserved to have someone send him off.

She waved at him, a reassuring smile on her lips she hoped he'd be able to see from so far away in the middle of the night, and he waved back slightly. He disappeared into the car and John started pulling away from the curb before his door was even closed.

"C'mon, honey," Piper sighed, rubbing Lynnie's arm slightly and squeezing. Mother and daughter watched as the Impala disappeared down the street and out of view. "I'm gonna go make us a hot cup of cocoa and you can tell me all about why your shirt's on inside out."

Startled, Lynnie looked down at her outfit to see that, yeah, in their haste to get away from the policeman and everything that had happened afterwards, neither she nor Dean had noticed her top was on inside out.

Blushing hard, Lynnie peeked over at her mom and was relieved to find that she didn't look at all angry. A little amused and concerned, but not angry.

"Do you think Dad noticed?" she asked, wincing.

"He's a guy," Piper waved dismissively. "Of course he didn't."

Lynnie giggled a little, the heaviness of her heart lessening slightly thanks to her mother. Resting her head on her mom's shoulder, she allowed herself to be led back inside the house.

"You should still probably change first," Piper suggested. "And I'd wash off that club stamp on the back of your hand."

***********************************************************************************

_ **January 8th, 2006** _   
_ **San Francisco** _

_"No, it's…Well, it's someone I think you're gonna be excited to meet," Lynnie said nervously, unsure exactly how to break the news to her five-year-old._

_She didn't have to worry, however. They'd reached the last landing and Wren had caught sight of the man standing at the bottom of the stairs. Her eyes widened as she recognized him from the photos Lynnie had shown her all her life._

_"Daddy!?"_

Excitement bubbling to the surface, Wren ripped her hand away from her Mom and ran down the stairs at an alarming speed.

"Warren!" Lynnie gasped, eyes going round in panic. "What do I always say? No running down the stairs!"

Wren ignored her mother, jumping that last two steps with ease and crashing into Dean who, startled, was only able to catch her due to his fast hunter's reflexes. She'd wrapped her arms around his legs and he gently pried them off so that he could crouch down and meet her face to face for the first time.

"Daddy, you're here!" Wren beamed at him, and the sight of her pretty smile made his heart race hard. She was so perfect, beautiful green eyes the exact mirror of his own sparkling at him happily. She looked like a tiny Lynnie, even more so in person. She had his same, full lips and when she smiled, it was his own grin reflected back at him. "Mommy said you were fighting monsters so the world will be safe. Are they all gone now?"

Dean flicked his eyes up to Lynnie, caught a little off guard. She shrugged, realizing now that she hadn't told him what she'd said to Wren to explain away his absence. She had _certainly_ not told her _five-year-old_ kid that her dad wasn't in her life because he didn't want to be a father. Wren had accepted her mostly-true story about Dean being gone thanks to his job as a hunter of all things evil and supernaturally monstrous easily, asking for bedtime stories of Dean being a hero instead of listening to fairy tales.

"No, they're not," Dean told her gently, hating the way her face fell. "But I fought enough monsters that I get to have a present. So I asked to see you."

She beamed at him. "Really? I'm your present?" she asked excitedly.

"Are ya kidding?" he grinned, revealing the truth to her without hesitation, "You're the best present I've ever gotten."

She lurched forward and he rocked back on his heels, stopping himself from falling backwards as he caught her in his arms. "I really missed you, daddy," she mumbled into his shoulder.

His heart squeezed painfully. "We've never met," he stated the horrid truth.

"It doesn't matter," she replied, wiser than her years. "I still missed you."

"Me, too," he kissed her on her head, soft sandy brown hair tickling his nose. He might not have known about her until a few days ago, but his entire being had been aching to meet her once he knew of her existence.

A throat clearing had Dean looking towards his forgotten audience. Lynnie had made it the last few steps down and was standing in between her parents. Both she and Piper had tears in their eyes and Leo was looking at Dean and Wren with a soft smile on his face. A little uncomfortable at the attention he was getting, he wrapped an arm around Wren and lifted her as he stood.

"Wow!" Wren giggled, wrapping thin arms around his neck. "Daddy, you're super strong!"

"I gotta be to fight the monsters," he smirked in Lynnie's direction, earning him an eyeroll. "C'mon, lets have dinner. Your grandma cooked and I'm _starving_! How 'bout you?"

"I can eat," Wren said seriously, her tummy grumbling now at the thought of Grandma's food.

Dean patted her leg at the nonchalant answer – Lynnie was right. She was a lot like him when he was that age. She seemed a lot happier than he had been but, then again, she hadn't had to deal with all that he had - a recently deceased mother and a father changed so drastically in such a small amount of time that it had scared him a lot most of the time. Thank God she hadn't had to deal with any of that.

Piper had placed Wren's special Wonder Woman plate in the middle of Lynnie and Dean's seats. Dean had to pry Wren's little arms from around his neck to put her down in her seat. The moment he sat down, however, she clambered onto his lap, deciding to have dinner on her dad's lap.

"Wren, come on, sit in your own seat," Lynnie reached out to take hold of the little girl.

Wren, unwilling to let go of her dad yet, burrowed deeper into Dean's chest, one bony elbow poking him squarely in his stomach. Dean grinned at Lynnie. "Nah, it's cool," he assured her. "I've got her."

Sighing and rolling her eyes fondly at the two, Lynnie took Wren's seat instead so she could help Dean handle her, piling on some food on Wren's Wonder Woman plate.

"Mommy told me you went on a camping trip with grandpa," Dean said as he bounced his knees, making Wren giggle at the movement. "Did you like it?"

"Uh-huh," she replied. "Grandpa's the best camper in the whole world! I know how to pick the right berries and what to do if bears come at me and how to say hi to fishies!"

"Wow, that's a lot of cool stuff you know," Dean praised. "I know how to camp, too, you know?"

"Really?"

"I probably don't know as much as you and Grandpa," Dean confessed.

Wren patted his arm consolingly. "Don't worry. We can go together sometime and me and Grandpa can teach you," she promised. "Right, Grandpa?"

Leo smiled at Wren and Dean, giving the latter an encouraging smile. He was a natural as a dad, but then again, that wasn't really a surprise. Dean had always been great with kids, even when he was supposed to be one himself. Leo could remember the early days of knowing the boy clearly, watching as Dean played the role of mother and father for little Sammy. "Of course, honey," he answered Wren's question. "We can go camping anytime."

Wren took twice as long to eat than usual, excitedly babbling on to Dean about anything and everything under the sun – from the names of her best friends at kindergarten, her favourite teachers at Magic School, trying to find her future car so she could fix it up with Grandpa soon…

"You know, maybe I can help with that," Dean told her, letting her steal some of his potatoes. "I helped your Mom to find her car when she was almost as little as you."

Wren gave him a narrowed-eyed look. "Mommy was never little!" she protested. "She's my mommy!"

"Not always," Dean argued teasingly. "Once upon a time, she was even a baby!"

Wren laughed, hands coming up to cover her mouth as giggles burst forth. "No!" she snuck a look at her mom, who shrugged.

"That's the rumor," Lynnie confirmed.

Leo cut up the pie that Lynnie had brought over once the table had been cleared of their dinner, kept warm in the oven until it was time to serve it. Wren kept her eyes focused on the pie and Leo laughed as he cut her an extra big slice, knowing what she wanted. She cheered as he plated it for her, smiling wide as Piper added a scoop of ice cream to go along with it.

"Thank you," Wren mumbled around a mouthful of pie.

"Warren Halliwell!" Lynnie scolded. "No talking with your mouth full!"

"This is awesome," Dean chuckled around his own mouthful of pie, having not heard Lynnie's reprimand. Lynnie rolled her eyes as Wren seemed to take Dean's behavior as permission to act like she was raised by wolves, shrugging and digging back into her treat. Lynnie threw her hands up in frustration. "Ugh, why do I bother?" she complained, not meaning it in the slightest.

Dean spent some time after dinner in the garage with Leo and Wren – she had refused to let Dean out of her sight, a little scared that he might need to leave to fight monsters again when she wasn't looking. She had insisted on going out with him while he looked at Leo's latest fix-it project, a 1964 Aston Martin DB5. It wasn't an American-made car, but Dean would forgive it for being so damn iconic.

"Are you kidding?" he asked, eyes almost bugging out as he took it in.

Leo laughed. "Call me a fanatic, but I've always wanted to fix one of these up," he confessed, patting the hood of his very own James Bond car.

"Yeah, who wouldn't?" Dean grinned at him. "Gonna sell this one too?"

"You know, I might keep it for a while once I'm done," Leo chuckled. "I'm only halfway done with her, anyway."

"Hey, if you need any help, you let me know," Dean pointed at Leo, seriously meaning his offer.

"I might take you up on that."

"Boys," Piper called out to them from the door of the garage. "Should you maybe pick this up another day? Someone's pooped." She nodded in Wren's direction, where she was curled up on top of the dingy couch Leo had put in the garage a couple of years ago. She shivered a little in her sleep, hands tucked underneath her head as she snored a little.

Dean smiled, feeling his whole body warm up just looking at his baby girl. He walked over to where she was sleeping and scooped her up gently into his arms. He'd done this a million times for Sam when he was little, but this was different. It felt different, having her snuggle into his arms, head resting in the crook of his neck, warm little puffs of apple-pie-scented breath tickling his skin.

He carried her back to the house where Lynnie was gathering up Wren's things from her camping trip. "Oh, she's up way past her bedtime," she said, smiling softly as she ran a hand down Wren's back. "We should get her home."

Lynnie hugged and kissed her parents goodbye while Dean cuddled his daughter in her sleep. "Do you want me to take her?" she asked him. He shook his head, gaze still fixed only on the little girl in his arms. "Okay, well, thanks for dinner, Mom, Dad. Talk to you soon."

"Okay, honey," Piper smiled, feeling Leo coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Leo echoed.

Lynnie, Dean and Wren disappeared in a swirl of bright white and blue lights.

Piper and Leo looked at each other, smiling. "Crazy day," Leo mentioned.

"A little," Piper admitted, leaning her head back against his chest. "I'm glad that Dean's found out the truth. I think he'll be good for Lynnie and Wren."

"Me, too," Leo agreed. "Well…Mrs. Halliwell. We have the house to ourselves tonight."

"For once," Piper smiled, turning to hug him back. "What do you think we should do?"

"I have a few ideas," Leo leaned down to kiss his wife of over thirty years. She was just leaning into it when he pulled away, rushing for the stairs. "Dibs on the shower!"

Piper ran after him. "Hey! That was a dirty trick!" she yelled out. "Don't _make_ me freeze you!"

Lynnie orbed herself, Dean and Wren back to the apartment she shared with Parker. They appeared in the living room, where Sam and Parker had already returned from Magic School. They had huge mugs of coffee in their hands and were poring over heavy books Lynnie knew they must have gotten from Magic School.

"Hey, you're back," Parker grinned at them from her place on the couch next to Sam. "How was dinner?"

"Informative," Dean replied, squeezing Wren a little as she shifted in her sleep.

Parker chuckled. "Yeah, Wren's chatty," she said knowingly.

Sam, mouth hanging open a little, rose slowly from the couch. "Wow…So that's her, huh?" he said quietly, not wanting to wake her. "She's cute…Nothing at all like you, Dean, thank God."

Dean rolled his eyes at his brother, grinning a little when he saw the way Sam's eyes softened as he gazed at Wren. He supposed she had that effect on Sammy, too. It was different than what he was going through, for sure, but he wondered how Sam was reacting to being an uncle for the first time – and to a five-year-old kid, at that. They hadn't really talked about Wren existing beyond 'Dad must have put the curse on us'.

Lynnie put Wren's bag next to the couch, procrastinating unpacking it. "Do you want me to take her?" she asked Dean, reaching out to scoop Wren out of his arms.

Dean shook his head. "Nah, I don't wanna jostle her too much," he said, any excuse to hold his little girl for just a tad longer. "Just…Tell me where to put her."

Lynnie smiled, seeing through his obvious lie. "C'mon, I'll show you," she jerked her head to the side, beckoning him to follow her.

She led him to the bedroom right next to hers and opened the door. Dean hadn't actually seen the room yet and was surprised – and thrilled – at the lack of pink. There was a superhero theme going on. The left side of the wall was a floor to ceiling mural of DC superheroes and the right side was a mural of Marvel heroes. The wall directly behind her bed had blue stars painted on it, and her name in big red and gold letters. Her bed was Wonder Woman themed, with pillows and covers to match.

Lynnie pulled the covers back and Dean gently laid Wren down. When he tried to pull away, her arms tightened around his neck.

"Wait, daddy, don't go," Wren whispered, eyes half closed as she struggled against sleep.

Dean pried little, cold fingers from their Vulcan grip around his neck. "It's okay, kiddo," he whispered back. "It's time to sleep, okay? I'll be here in the morning."

"You promise?"

He flashed back to Sammy – and even himself the first few times, before Sam was old enough to take note – asking Dad if he was going to be around the next morning when he woke up. He remembered Dad always promising he would be and almost always breaking his word. He would not make the same mistake with Wren.

"I promise, kiddo," he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her forehead, taking in a deep breath of strawberry scented kid shampoo. Lynnie's cat, the one she's had since right before Wren was born apparently, jumped up onto the bed, glaring at Dean as she curled up next to Wren, furry head resting against Wren's cheek. He was pretty sure the cat had it out for him, but Lynnie swore Wren loved that thing more than anything in the world. Apparently, it was a mutual thing, "Goodnight, Wren."

"No," she protested, snuggling up to Miss Kitty and giggling a little as she received a rough tongue licking to the side of her head. "Not without my song."

"Song?" Dean looked over at Lynnie.

She was already prepared. Kneeling on Wren's other side, she tucked in the little girl with the Wonder Woman comforter up to her chin and brushed back her hair from her face. "One song and that's it, missy," she warned, earning a sleepy smile from Wren. "And maybe we'll get daddy to sing along, too," she shot a teasing smile at Dean.

Dean raised his eyebrows in confusion. If she thought he was going to sing to some sappy, corny kid song then she'd clearly forgotten a lot about him. He'd never done that even for Sam way back when. He'd die for his kid but even he had his limits.

To his surprise, she began to sing the first few lines of a _very_ familiar song.

"Hey Jude, don't make it bad…Take a sad song and make it better…Remember to let her into your heart…Then you can start to make it better," she sang softly, watching with a fond smile as Wren's eyes fluttered as she fought sleep as hard as she could. She always did want to hear the whole song before going off into dreamland.

Dean stared at Lynnie as she sang. He didn't know if Wren's bedtime song was the same every night or if she wanted a different one every night. He didn't even know if Lynnie remembered him telling her how Mary used to sing 'Hey, Jude' to him as a lullaby when he was little and had done the same with Wren as a nod to him or if this was just some weird coincidence. Either way, he was mesmerized by her. She was just as off-key as she had been when they were younger, but it was the most beautiful thing he'd heard in his life.

"Daddy, sing, please," Wren begged, breaking Dean out of his daze. He blinked a few times, clearing his head, and at Lynnie's encouraging smile, he joined her in the next verse, eyes locked on their baby girl. Wren lost her battle with sleep as the song came to an end.

Lynnie stood and kissed the top of Wren's head. "Night-night, little lion," she whispered.

Dean followed her to the door. She stopped in the doorway, reaching out to turn off the light. Something on the ceiling caught Dean's eye – the ceiling had been decorated with some kind of glow in the dark paint, giving life to the silhouette of a city and the Bat Signal flashing up at the sky, Batman standing on the roof of a tall building nearby. He pursed his lips, nodding a little in acknowledgement of such a cool concept. He would have killed to have a room like that as a kid.

Lynnie closed the door to Wren quietly, leaving it open just a sliver as Wren was generally not fond of being in total darkness. Stepping away from the door, she made to head back to the living room, but Dean stopped her once they were a few feet away from Wren's room.

"You sing 'Hey, Jude' to her?" he asked, awe coloring his tone.

She shot him a smile. "Well, she was a fussy baby," she shrugged. "Nothing worked to get her to sleep most days. Then, one day, I remembered you telling me about how your Mom used to sing 'Hey, Jude' to you when you were little. I gave it a shot and it worked like a charm. It's her favorite lullaby."

Her words made him warm all over, from the tips of his toes to the back of his ears.

"So, did you find out what you needed to?" Lynnie asked Parker and Sam as she and Dean headed out back to the living room.

"Not exactly," Parker frowned. "Premonition is one of the most common powers out there and yet it's the most unpredictable. A lot of lore is just guesswork."

"We _did_ talk to the professor for Advanced Premonition and Divination," Sam chimed in. "But all he could really tell us was that it is possible for people to develop psychic abilities in adulthood. Apparently, everyone's different. It's not an exact science. Go figure."

"We're just going through a few books he recommended to see if there's anything else that can help us find out more about Sam's visions," Parker explained. "Though, personally, I don't think we need to focus so much on the why and focus just a little more on controlling them."

Sam shot her an exasperated look and she held up her free hand in surrender. "Just my personal opinion, Sam, I'm entitled to one," she said easily.

In a shameless effort to change the subject, Sam turned to his brother and asked, "How were Piper and Leo?"

"Pretty good," Dean leaned back in the armchair he'd claimed for himself. "They were pretty understanding about the whole thing. You know how Zen they are."

Sam chuckled a little. Piper was a tigress when it came to protecting her family and she was a worrywart for sure, but she was a pretty calming influence for them the rest of the time. It sometimes made him wonder if Phoebe and Paige weren't just making up stories of a much nuttier Piper back in the day.

"Yeah…" he trailed off, finding himself missing the Halliwell connection he'd once had.

Parker noticed his sadness and longing and reached out, patting him on the arm. "You know, we're having a little celebration at the Manor on Saturday," she said. "Everyone's going to be there. You guys should come…You know, if you're still in town."

"We're still in town," Dean said resolutely.

Sam shot him a look, but he didn't argue. Everything was such a mess. He had no idea what to do about Dad or The Demon, and he certainly didn't know what to do about his weird-ass visions. But he _did_ know that Dean deserved to get to know his daughter and maybe patch things up with Lynnie, too.

"What are we celebrating?" Sam asked curiously.

"PJ's the new owner of P3," Lynnie chimed in. "Mom's decided to sell the club so she could focus more on the restaurant."

"Wow," Dean murmured, unable to picture the famed club belonging to anyone but Piper Halliwell.

"Yeah, she's actually wanted to sell for a while now, but she didn't want to let it go to someone outside the family," Lynnie said with a smile. "P3 is an important place to her. When PJ said she wanted to buy, Mom was thrilled."

"So was PJ," Parker rolled her eyes. "She's spent so much time at P3 by now she's practically taken over the club without any of us noticing. Honestly, this is just signing the official paperwork."

"It's funny to me, everyone being so different than when we last saw you guys," Sam admitted.

"We're not all that different," Parker reassured him with a chuckle. "Peyton's still an OCD, controlling little–"

Knowing where Parker was headed with this, Lynnie cleared her throat, interrupting her and flaring her eyes to signal Parker should probably nix the sisterly rant before it started.

Parker pursed her lips, tilting her head to the side as she changed her wording at the last minute, "–witch," she gave an insincere smile. "PJ's still a wild child, only now she's channeling all that energy into P3."

"And you?" Sam asked, a small almost-flirtatious smile on his lips.

"Curious, are you?" Parker blatantly flirted back. Dean and Lynnie shared a fond eyeroll at the younger Winchester and Halliwell. "Magic School's a pretty solid career choice for me. I've got good friends. I haven't killed either of my sisters yet. I'm doing good."

Sam and Parker beamed at each other over a heavy, dusty tome that was written sometime in the 5th century. Sam was still as taken with her as he had been as a gangly, awkward teenager. Parker, on the other hand, was unable to believe just how gorgeous he'd grown to be. Though, to be honest, she probably should have seen it coming. Not as a psychic, but with common sense. His dad and brother were both damn good-looking. Stands to reason he would be, too.

Dean ruined the moment by flopping down on the couch next to Sam, jostling the two, and turning the TV on. Ignoring the glares from Sam and Parker, he channel-surfed until he found Dr. Sexy on. At the weird looks he was getting, he shrugged.

"What? There's nothing else on!" he defended, secretly glad to be getting back to the drama between Dr. Sexy and the new punk-ass heart surgeon coming in to steal his thunder. As though anyone could compete with that hair! He fixed his attention on the screen, wishing he had some popcorn and beer…

************************************************************************************

_ **January 9th, 2006** _   
_ **San Francisco** _

Dean was woken up at five thirty in the morning by the sound of his bedroom door creaking open slowly. Cracking one eye slightly, he slowly reached underneath his pillow for the knife he slept with every night. The pitter-patter of small feet and a soft meow had him withdrawing his hand just as his fingers touched the knife's handle.

"Shh!" he heard Wren's high, childish voice reprimand, getting another soft meow in response. "We have to be quiet! I want to surprise daddy!"

He swallowed the grin threatening to break out and kept his eyes squeezed shut until he felt her climb up onto the bed and onto his chest. She patted his cheeks with tiny, cold hands and he fluttered his eyes opened, blinking purposefully blearily up at her.

"Wren?" he asked, his voice genuinely deep with sleep. "What's up, bud?"

Wren grinned at his sleepy state. "Daddy, wake up," she insisted urgently. "It's morning! We have a lot to do!"

"We do?" he asked, bewildered.

"Yeah! We have five whole years of playtime to do!" Wren told him seriously. "We can start at the park."

Dean grinned, reaching out with one arm around her middle and lifting her into the air sideways as he rolled out of bed. She squeaked at the sudden movement and squealed in excitement as he kept her suspended from the ground with just one arm. "Oh, yeah? And what does your Mom think about all this?"

Wren gave him an innocent look. "Mommy said it's fine," she lied – badly. Dean bit back a grin. She'd clearly inherited her inability to lie from Lynnie. It was actually kind of adorable, though he'd rather be ripped apart by werewolves than admit such a thing.

"What did I say was fine?" Lynnie asked as she stepped out of her bedroom, dressed for the day, make-up and all. Her pretty, red hair was curling a little as it dried naturally.

Her sudden appearance made Wren gasp in surprise. She'd thought her Mom was in the shower. If only Dad wasn't such a slow poke…They could be at the park by now.

Catching sight of her daughter dressed in her normal clothes, Lynnie threw her an exasperated look. "Why aren't you dressed in your school uniform?" she asked sternly.

"'cuz I'm not going," Wren shrugged nonchalantly.

"I beg your pardon, Missy, but yes, you are," Lynnie countered, hands on her hips. "It's Monday and Monday is a school day. You know that."

Wren gave her mother a beseeching look. "But what about daddy?" she asked, her voice just this side of a whine. "He just got here."

Lynnie's expression softened as she looked at Wren, eyes wide and pleading as she clung onto her father. She'd taken it for granted how well her baby was taking meeting Dean for the first time since she had always been a little wiser beyond her years. In the end, though, Wren was still just a five-year-old little girl who had just met the father she'd wanted to meet since before she even knew what dads were, thanks to Lynnie's stories of Dean.

"_Daddy_," she emphasized, looking up at Dean and expecting to see a leer. His attention was solely focused on his daughter, however, an expression she had never quite seen on his face displayed there unguarded. Her heart squeezed a little at the open affection he was showing Wren. Being a dad suited him. "Will still be here when school ends."

Wren looked unconvinced, hugging Dean tighter around the neck and resting her head on his shoulder. "Do you promise?" she directed the question at both of her parents.

"Cross my heart," Dean promised. "Look, why don't I bring you to your school?"

Her eyes lit up. "Really?" she asked excitedly, squirming in his arms.

"Sure," he shrugged, adjusting his hold on her when she started to slip thanks to all that squirming around. "You can show me around."

"Yeah, you can let him meet your friends and your favorite teachers," Lynnie encouraged, tickling Wren's tummy a little and making her giggle. "You can show him the pond. You love the pond."

Excited now to show her dad around her school, Wren wriggled until Dean let her down. She dashed towards her room.

Lynnie turned to face Dean once she was in her room. "I'm gonna check in on her. You can have the shower," she told him with a smile. "Parker's already left early for Magic School and, last I saw him, Sam was headed out for a jog."

Dean made a face. "Is everyone here an early riser?" he complained. "Sun's barely out. Sam's always been a freak of nature, but why the hell are you and Parker waking up this early?"

Grinning, Lynnie shrugged. "Hazards of raising an overly excitable five-year-old, I guess," she replied.

Grumbling a little to himself, Dean slipped into the bathroom, still a little steamy and smelling of Lynnie's intoxicating body wash. He brushed his teeth and sighed a little as he stepped under the warm spray of the shower. At least the water was hot.

By the time he came out, freshly showered and dressed for the day, Lynnie and Wren were in the kitchen. Lynnie was plating up breakfast while Wren, dressed in her kindergarten uniform – plaid skirt, light blue long-sleeved shirt and a dark blue vest on top of it.

"Hope pancakes and bacon are okay," Lynnie told him when she caught sight of him entering the kitchen.

Eyes widened as he breathed in the too-good smell of home-cooked bacon, he told her eagerly, "Are you kidding? It's awesome!"

She laughed, jerking her head towards the breakfast nook. He took note of the jug of orange juice, bowl of berries and the stack of pancakes she'd already put there. He side-stepped Wren, crouched down for her morning playtime with Miss Kitty, and took one of the three empty plates she'd stacked next to the maple syrup.

Lynnie placed the plate of freshly fried bacon on the table before turning to crouch down next to Wren, smiling as her little girl played gently with her favorite furry friend.

"Come on, time to wash your hands and eat your breakfast," Lynnie urged. "Miss Kitty should probably eat hers, too."

Wren sighed heavily. She wished she had longer to play with Miss Kitty, but she _was_ hungry. Lynnie led her to the sink where she lifted Wren up from under the armpits so she could reach the tap. Wren tried to get away with washing with just water but Lynnie cleared her throat and she reached for the soap.

Dean grinned as the two of them made their way to the table, Wren choosing to clamber up on the empty space next to him. Before she'd even touched the pancakes, she reached out to snag a strip of bacon and bit into it. Clearly, she was his daughter through and through.

They had to take the Impala to Wren's school since Lynnie's car was still parked at the hospital. She had a spare booster car seat that she had him strap down to the backseat for Wren to use.

"What? She's five!" he protested as she handed him the booster car seat. "Sammy was out of these things at three!"

"What?" she stared at him in horror. "Dean! That's dangerous! They recommend kids to use these until age eight."

He stared at her until she glared him down. Sighing, he took the booster from her and stuck his head into the backseat, cursing under his breath as he tried to fix the damn thing in.

"Do you need some help?" she asked, hearing his muffled curses as the booster gave him some trouble.

"No!" came his quick reply, irritation lacing his tone. "I got it!"

A few shuffles and a head bump on Baby's roof later, Dean stepped back out of the car, breathing a little heavily. "Was this thing designed by the CIA?" he asked Lynnie, who rolled her eyes.

Lynnie helped Wren get into her booster seat and strap in, checking Dean's work at the same time. He'd done it right, for all he complained about.

"Is this your car, daddy?" Wren asked as Lynnie and Dean got themselves settled in in the front.

"Yeah, she's all mine," Dean patted Baby's dash lovingly as he started up the engine.

Wren beamed, looking around the interior and liking it just as much as she had the exterior. "It's pretty," she said. "I like it."

Dean grinned. "That's my girl," he turned to give Wren a wink.

Wren's school was barely ten minutes away from the apartment, but she'd insisted they went early so she could show Dean her favorite spots. He couldn't relate to her enthusiasm for school, but he thanked God for it. He wanted her to do so much better than him in life. If she grew up to be a nerdy, preppy Stanford-bound pre-law kid, he'd consider himself blessed.

The kindergarten was a colorful building Dean would have hated to go in even back when his Mom was still alive. There were a few kids already milling about aside with their parents, teachers coming out to make sure there was no trouble.

"We have to go see the pond first," Wren insisted, tugging on Dean's hand the moment her feet touched the pavement.

"Lynnie!" someone called out and Lynnie turned to find Mrs. Roberts, Wren's kindergarten's principal, making her way to them, smiling genially and eyeing Dean curiously. "Good morning, Wren. Who have you got here with you?"

Lynnie smiled at her. "Hi, good morning, Mrs. Roberts," she greeted. "Uh, I'm glad we ran into you…I…We were reunited with Wren's father a few days ago. She wanted to show him around. That's not a problem, is it?"

Mrs. Roberts' eyes widened in surprise at the mention of Wren's dad, but she kept her expression neutral. "No, no, not at all," she waved off Lynnie's concerns. "As long as you stick to the areas of the school parents are allowed to enter, it should be fine. Hello, you must be Wren's father. I'm the principal here, Mrs. Roberts."

Dean shook her hand a little awkwardly. "Dean. Winchester," he introduced, tacking on his last name as an afterthought. She was officially the first person outside their families to acknowledge him as Wren's dad. "Yeah, I am."

Mrs. Roberts smiled at him for a few awkward moments before she said, "I'm sorry. I know it might be a little personal, but I have to ask…Will you be around often?"

Dean blinked at her. "Excuse me?" he was starting to feel his defensiveness rise.

She held up a hand in apology. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be indelicate," she apologized. "It's just that we have a strict policy of who gets in and out of our gates. It's parents and approved guests only. If you're going to be coming by after today, we're going to need to put down your name on Wren's approved list."

Lynnie bit her lips, feeling her cheeks flush a little. "Oh! Uh, Mrs. Roberts, we haven't really discussed any of this…" she started.

Dean interrupted her. "Yeah, let's do that," he told the principal. At Lynnie's look sent his way, he explained, "Look, I told you I'm gonna be around. Unless you have a problem with me coming to see her here or picking her up and dropping her off once in a while, I want this settled."

She nodded, a smile curving on her lips as she took in his words. Turning back to face Mrs. Roberts, she gave the go ahead. "Yes, Dean's name should be on Wren's list," she confirmed.

Mrs. Roberts flashed them both a reassuring smile. "Wonderful," she reached out to tap Wren on the nose lightly, noticing her impatient bouncing. "I understand little Miss Halliwell here has a lot to show you. Once it's time for her to go in, you can just come to my office. I'll have the paperwork ready for you."

Wren huffed as Mrs. Roberts left to speak to another parent. "Finally!" she complained.

Lynnie levelled a glare her way. "Warren!" she scolded. "Let's remember our manners, please."

Wren sent her an apologetic look she barely meant. "Daddy, let's go see the pond. We have swans there!" she urged.

Dean allowed her to lead him to the pond where there were, indeed, swans and fish and a frog or two here and there. He was then taken to the kindergarten's little farmyard garden – they had a small coop of chickens, two rabbits and a cat. Lynnie explained to him that the chickens, swans and fish were taken care of by the caretaker of the school but that the rabbits and the cat belonged to a few of the teachers. They were brought to the school so that the kids could interact with animals and learn the value of responsibility by having a roster, allowing each child to feed and clean up after the animals.

"You enrolled her in a hippie school?" Dean whispered to Lynnie as Wren cuddled up to a rabbit.

Lynnie glared at him. "It's not a _hippie school_," she mocked him. "They're teaching her to be kind and gentle. Nothing wrong with that."

He shrugged. He couldn't argue with that.

Wren ambled over to where Dean and Lynnie were seated on the edge of the fountain in the garden. She had a little black bunny cradled in her arms.

"This is Blackie," she said as she deposited the bunny in Dean's lap. He raised an eyebrow at the furry creature, soft to the touch and sniffing at his jeans. "Daddy, he likes you!"

"Well, I'm very nice. Of course he likes me," Dean boasted, much to Lynnie's amusement, rubbing the rabbit between the ears. "Sorry you've got a sucky name, buddy," he said to the rabbit.

The school bell rang and Lynnie shared a commiserating look with Wren. "Time to put Blackie back in his bunny house and get to class," Lynnie plucked the rabbit from Dean's lap and handed him over to Wren. "Come on."

Dean watched with a smile and soft eyes as Lynnie guided Wren back to the little hutch at the far end of the garden. The little girl, all charming smile and sparkling green eyes, giggled at something her mother said, giving extra cuddles to the bunny before saying goodbye. _God_, she was perfect. How'd he help make someone like that?

His phone rang, startling him. He reached for it in his jacket pocket and answered without looking at the number, his eyes still locked on Wren and Lynnie.

"Dean?"

The voice, soft and sweet, familiar, brought him out of his Wren-and-Lynnie bubble. He pulled his phone away from his ear to look at the caller ID, confirming what he already knew.

"Cassie?" he responded, unable to believe himself. What, was this 'bring back the exes' week for him?

"Hi," Cassie breathed out, sounding nervous. "Listen…I, uh…I didn't think I'd ever be making this call…"

Dean felt his eyebrows rise. "This doesn't have anything to do with Dean Jr., does it?" he asked warily. As much as he loved Wren, he could only handle one surprise illegitimate child per lifetime.

"What!? No!" Cassie sounded shocked. "No. Look…The stuff you told me about…Before you left…?"

He remembered clearly.

He'd been out looking for a good time when he met Cassie and, truth be told, she'd gotten under his skin a little more than he'd intended. She was the first and only woman since Lynnie to have done that and he'd indulged in a little fantasy of what life would be like if he had someone in his life he didn't have to lie to, someone who would be okay with who he was and what he did. He'd gotten caught up in that fantasy and had confessed the truth to Cassie, only to have her declare him insane and telling him she didn't want anything to do with him again. It was then he'd known that he wasn't meant to have something like that in his life. He wasn't meant to have someone in his life – not beyond Dad and Sammy.

Of course, now looking at Lynnie a few feet away, helping their daughter urge the reluctant bunny back into its hutch, he knew better. It was the first time since he and Lynnie had been broken up that he'd felt hope about having that family he'd always secretly wanted.

"Dean?"

Cassie's voice drew him back to the present. Blinking a few times, he cleared his throat and answered, "Yeah. Yeah, I remember. What about it?"

Cassie was silent for a long while. "You weren't kidding about it, were you?" she asked quietly. "All of it…It's real."

The way she said it, the tone of her voice, sent alarm bells ringing in his head. "What's going on, Cassie?" he asked seriously. "What's this about?"

"I think…Dean, I think I need your help," she admitted. "Your…_specific_ kind of help. Something's happening around here…I don't know where else to turn."

Dean exhaled, blown away.

If Cassie Robinson had called him a week ago, he'd have dropped everything to go to her side. He didn't harbor any fantasies about a life with her…He'd had a brief, flitting thought about what it would be like to have her that way _once_ a lifetime ago, it seemed. But she had kicked him to the curb, and he knew now that it had been the best thing she could've done for him – and for herself. She had been the replacement girl he never intended to have. He had missed Lynnie so damn much, still hurting so badly from her sudden break-up with him, and being completely cut-off from the Halliwell family was such a shock to the system. He missed having that support system at the call for a Whitelighter. He missed spending time at the Manor. He missed having people in his corner, from a healing touch to a temp job at the restaurant if he needed some extra cash.

And, _God_, he'd missed having Lynnie as his girl. She was so beautiful, so wonderful to him. He hadn't deserved a single second of their relationship and it made sense that she'd come to her senses and found someone better. But he'd missed her. He'd missed not having a single secret between them. He'd missed having someone to confide in like he did with her. He'd missed having her just a Call away when he was on the road. He'd missed having her to call home.

He would've just settled for something that wasn't the real thing, convincing himself that it was what he wanted. And God knows Cassie didn't deserve to be used like that, whether he knew he was doing it or not.

"Cassie…I can't," he admitted.

"Dean, I'm sorry I didn't believe you, okay?" she said, sounding pleading. "You've gotta understand…You were saying things about monsters and demons and…I didn't know what to think!"

"No, no, I get it," he assured her and, yeah, he really did. That closure that he would've wanted a week ago…Well, it didn't matter the slightest anymore. "Really, I do. That's not it. I'm just…In the middle of a family thing. I can't get away. I really can't. And I shouldn't."

"Oh," she said, falling silent in the awkwardness of it all.

"But I'll call a friend for help," he said quickly. "His name is Caleb."

"I don't know, Dean…" Cassie sounded hesitant about trusting a total stranger with something so dangerous.

"Trust me, he's good at this," he said convincingly. "I've known him practically my whole life. You can trust him."

She agreed to it and he promised to send her Caleb's information once he's talked to Caleb himself.

"Well…Thanks, Dean," she said quietly.

"Yeah, of course," he returned, watching as Lynnie and Wren made their way back to him, bunny safely in his hutch. "Listen, I have to go. Take care of yourself, Cassie."

"Who was that?" Lynnie asked, cheeks a little flushed from laughing so hard with Wren over the bunny's antics earlier.

Dean shrugged. "No one important," he answered genuinely.

Wren made them both come with her to her classroom. "This is my cubby," she told Dean seriously, leading him to the little red cubby surrounded by a rainbow of other cubbies. "It's where I put my stuff for later."

She introduced him to two little kids, a boy named Alex and a girl named Willow, whom she proclaimed were her bestest friends.

"Okay, honey," Lynnie crouched down as the bell rang a second time. "Mommy and daddy have to go now. We'll come and pick you up when school's over, okay?"

"Okay," Wren sighed heavily, bestowing both her parents with hugs and squeezing Dean extra tight because he seemed like he needed it. "See you later!"

Dean watched with a heavy heart as Wren ran off to join her classmates in a circle, her teacher in the center of it. Lynnie tugged on his sleeve. "Come on," she jerked her head to the side, and he followed her out of the room with eyes trained on Wren as long as he could.

They made a pit stop at Mrs. Roberts' office to sort out the paperwork listing Dean as someone the school recognized as Wren's guardian, letting him pick her up and drop her off within school grounds in the future.

"So…No one important?" she questioned, once they were on their way back to the parking lot.

Dean's gaze flew to her and she gave him a small smile. "Dean, we were, like, two feet away from you," she said dryly. "I'm not deaf."

"Right," he chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck, feeling it heat under his palm from his blush.

Lynnie rolled her eyes, trying to tamp down the hurt and jealousy she felt. She had no right to feel that way – she and Dean hadn't been together for five years now. She'd even started seeing someone new now. She had no claim on him.

"So…This was an ex, yes?" she prompted.

"Sort of," he allowed, admitting that while he'd been with Cassie for longer than any other woman asides from Lynnie herself, their relationship had been too short-lived to really be called a relationship. "She just called to…Ask for help."

At her questioning look, he explained, "I might've…Told her about what I do."

Her eyes widened and she looked away to hide the hurt she couldn't help feeling. "Wow," she murmured softly. "She must have meant a great deal to you if you were telling her the big, bad secret."

"She meant something," he said slowly, catching on to where her heart was despite her best efforts. Grabbing her gently by the elbow, he halted her movements and brought her face-to-face with him. "But she wasn't you."

She gave him a look. That was sweet of him to say, but she was curious to know more. She didn't know if she had the right to know but she hoped he'd tell her, anyway, even if it would kill her to find out.

"When did you two…Uh…?"

"A couple of months after you and me…"

She took an involuntary step back, his words like a punch to the gut. It was strange to think that while she had been pregnant with his kid, still mourning the loss of their shared future, he'd been falling for someone else. _Guess that letter wasn't so far off base, after all_, a voice taunted her in her head.

"No, look," he sighed, stepping closer to her. "I was…I was trying to replace you."

At her narrowed eyes, he started over, "That came out wrong. I missed you. I missed everything we had. I missed having someone I can trust with everything. And Cassie…" he shook his head. "I guess I just wanted so badly to have that again that I just jumped head-first into it with the first girl I could stand being around long enough to _try_ telling her the big, bad secret."

"Right," she looked away from his piercing green eyes, unable to stand the look in them.

"Does it help any if I told you she thought I was crazy and yelled at me to leave and never come back?" he asked jokingly.

"A little," she teased. Shaking her head, she said genuinely, "No, listen…I don't have the right to be upset."

"What? Come on, yes, you do," he insisted.

"No, I really don't," she countered. "It was…Years ago. Life has changed so much for me since then. I…Maybe you needed _Cassie_."

She couldn't help the way she accidentally sneered the woman's name, and Dean's lips curled into a knowing smirk at her obvious jealousy. She rolled her eyes, more than a little embarrassed by her reaction. She wasn't a high school girl, after all. Jealousy wasn't an attractive trait.

"And…It's not like _I_ haven't moved on, too, y'know?" she reminded him, her voice growing quiet as she remembered her boyfriend Logan.

This time, it was his turn to look away awkwardly, irritated at the reminder of some other guy living the life that was meant to be his. "Right," he muttered, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

They stood together in silence for a few moments before Lynnie cleared her throat. "I'm, uh, I'm gonna head to the hospital," she said. "Wren's school lets out at two forty-five. Do you want to pick her up or shall I?"

"Uh…I'll pick her up, I guess," Dean stared at her with wide eyes.

"Okay," Lynnie smiled slightly. "She usually has a snack at the Manor before going to Magic School for the afternoon. You can just bring her there. My Mom will be home."

"Right."

"Okay."

Disliking how they suddenly sounded like an estranged couple, Dean opened his mouth to break the ice when Lynnie jerked her thumb over her shoulder. "I'm gonna head to the ladies' and orb to the hospital," she said, turning on her heels and walking swiftly away.

"Right…" Dean sighed, watching as she disappeared back into the building. He ran a hand down his face. She still drove him nuts, that was for damn sure.

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Route 666 is not going to be a part of TWC. Sorry, but it wouldn't fit in this timeline. I can't imagine Dean dropping his newfound kid and long-lost love to help out an ex-flame. But he definitely wouldn't abandon someone in need of help, either. Thought I found the right solution to that.

By the way, in the previous chapter, Sam mentioned that Wren was a Charmed One's daughter. I've made amendments to that. I hadn't fleshed out what's been going on with Piper, Phoebe and Paige up until now. Now I know where they're at in 2006 and what's to come in their future. They're going to show up once in a blue moon. But know that they are still the Charmed Ones at this point in time of the story. They are still kicking ass. More will be explained about their lives and what came of it in future chapters/seasons. Wyatt, Chris and Lynnie are a powerful trio on their own but they are not the Charmed Ones since Piper, Phoebe and Paige are still going strong.

The reason for this is…I really can't think of a way for the Power of Three to be transferred down unless one of the sisters are dead. Shifting the Charmed timeline back so that Lynnie would be the same age as Dean, it occurred to me that the sisters are still alive and well. So, for now, P3 lies with Piper, Phoebe and Paige. Can't say that will stay the same for the rest of TWC. We do have a long way to go, after all.

By the way, I already know what happens to who but IF there was a sister who dies, who would you pick? Piper, Phoebe or Paige?

Did you catch my BtVS reference?

Please leave a review to tell me what you thought of this extra long chapter.


	5. Since You've Been Around

Chapter 5: Since You've Been Around

A/N: So, here we are. Supernatural has officially ended. How is everyone doing? Because I am so very not okay.

Also, I don't think I've ever said this but in The Winchester Charm series, I don't plan on Chuck being the Big Bad for Season 15. I also don't plan on Season 15 to be the last for TWC. I actually have this planned to end on Season 25. I don't know if you're up to read something that long, but this is my balm for SPN ending on my screen in a few short months. I don't actually know yet if Chuck will be the Big Bad in Season 25 because the ending I've pictured for the Winchesters involve him being a good guy – but that's because all of this was planned out before Season 15 came along. I'll have to see how that goes, but everything else up to Season 24 has been fleshed out. Season 25 is only partially unfinished due to this Chuck business. Let me know if you're interested to see how that goes.

Please, please leave a review to let me know what you thought of this chapter. This one is even longer than the last one...I don't know why I'm increasing the pages each chapter but I'll try to stop.

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or Charmed. I'm just playing in their sandboxes for no monetary gain whatsoever. I wish I did own them, however. Does that count?

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_ **3RD June 1998 ** _  
_ **San Francisco** _

"Come on, Lynnie," Dean groaned, letting his head fall back against the arm of the couch he was splayed out on. He was bored out of his _mind_.

He had gotten to San Francisco with Sammy over the weekend and he'd been planning for some fun, like he always had in Lynnie's hometown. But ever since he'd gotten there, Lynnie had barely looked up from her list of things to do to say hi to him, let alone spend some time with him in the backseat of Baby, now Dean's to call his own thanks to Dad giving it to him for his eighteenth birthday the previous year.

Everyone was way too busy for the summer holidays.

Wyatt was preparing for med school starting in the fall by doing a summer internship. Chris was spending his summer volunteering at the social worker's office. Sam was getting started on the summer reading list the teachers at his previous school had assigned him – Dean had no idea why since there was probably not a chance in hell he'd get enrolled back in that school once September rolled around again. Sam was, also, trying to get Aunt Piper to talk to Dad about maybe letting him spend the next three years of school in San Francisco. Dean knew that was one battle Aunt Piper would never win.

Lynnie herself was busy getting ready for her sophomore year of college. Dean didn't get what all the hard work was all about – wasn't college just a bunch of sorority parties and drunken hook-ups? That seemed to be what all the movies he'd watched seemed to suggest.

"Let's go somewhere," he begged. "_Anywhere_. I'll even go to a lame museum exhibit with you. I'm losin' my mind here."

Lynnie sighed, looking up from the latest paper she was writing to glare at him. "Dean, stop trying to distract me!" she scolded. "I have to finish this paper for my summer class."

"Okay, professor," he mocked.

Lynnie ignored him. "I have to hand it in by this Friday," she said.

"Can we do less mind-numbing stuff than this after that?" he complained.

She shot him a grin. "You know I took more than one summer course and I'm volunteering at the hospital, right?" she cocked an eyebrow. At his pained groan, she laughed. "What? It'll look good for me. I _am_ planning on studying nursing, you know?"

He lifted his head from the armrest, looking at her with a leery smirk. "That's hot," he stated matter-of-factly. "You gonna have the whole nurses' outfit on?"

"Probably not the kind you see in your pornos," she countered with a laugh.

Seeing that he was in a slightly better mood, she tentatively broached a subject he'd been avoiding talking to her about for the past two years.

While she'd graduated high school over a year ago, he had repeated senior year, giving him one shared year of high school with Sammy. However, he'd gotten tight-lipped about his future post-secondary-education ever since she'd started applying for colleges during her senior year of high school. And he hadn't even given her a date for his high school graduation. When she'd asked a couple of weeks back, he had just given her a vague reply about having already graduated the week before and skipping the ceremony. She'd been pissed about that – she'd wanted to attend his graduation, just like he'd been there for hers.

"So…" she said slowly, tentatively. "Which colleges did you apply to?"

He stared at her. "Are you kidding me?" he blinked. "You think I'm going to college?"

She sat up, shocked. "You're not!?" she yelped.

He rolled his eyes at her. "Yeah, cuz a college education's really going to help me become a better hunter," he said sarcastically. At her pointed look, he sighed, resting his head as comfortably as he could on the armrest and closed his eyes. He didn't want to see the disappointment in her eyes when he told her. "Actually, I dropped out of high school."

Lynnie stared at him, open-mouthed. "Wait…What? You told me you graduated!"

"Well, I might've lied a little."

"Might have!? A little!?" she repeated, incredulous.

"It's no big deal," he shrugged, defensive, arms folded on top of his chest as his mind drifted to the rift of his favorite Black Sabbath song to calm him down.

"Dean," she called out to him, waiting until he popped his eyes opened and looked over at her warily. "What happened?" she asked, her tone brooking no nonsense.

Sighing again, Dean rolled his eyes. "Look, I'm not like you. I'm not like Sammy," he said defensively. "School just doesn't do it for me."

"It doesn't _do it_ for you?" Lynnie repeated, sounding incredulous. "What the hell does that even mean?"

"It means I got out four months and six schools ago," he snapped, irritated that they even had to have this conversation. "It's not like I need a high school diploma or a college degree to be a hunter."

"Well, you don't have to be a hunter forever," she said slowly, putting down her paper and making her way to the couch and sitting at the edge of it. She bent her body slightly so that she could put her forearms on his chest, her brown eyes sparkling a little. "You could…Get out one day."

Dean snorted. "You're confusing me with Sammy," he quipped, relieved that she didn't seem angry anymore. "I was born to be a hunter."

"Well, that's not exactly true," she countered. "Circumstances made you a hunter. You were born to be anything you want."

He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her to lie on top of him. Running a hand through her soft brown hair, he eyed her seriously. "No, that's _you_," he reminded her. "Witches and hunters…We live very differently."

Lynnie sighed, leaning her head down to rest her forehead against his. "It doesn't have to be that way," she bit her lip, wondering if she should bring up something that could potentially scare him just a tiny bit. "Have you…ever thought about the future?"

He frowned. "The future?" he repeated, confused.

She shrugged a little. "Yeah, I mean…So, you're not into going to college. What would you do then?"

"Hunt, of course," Dean answered immediately.

"Okay, but what if one day, you're not a hunter anymore," she tried. "What would you do then?"

Dean closed his eyes, burrowing his head deeper into the couch cushion. "I don't know," he whined. "Do we really have to talk about something that's never gonna happen!?"

She peppered kisses on his face until his eyes fluttered open to look at her. "We don't know that it'll never happen. Besides…I just wanted you to think about your future, that's all. Our future," she amended, almost shyly. He turned wide, green eyes in her direction, and she blushed. "I'm just saying. This isn't our first date, Romeo. We're gonna be grown-ups soon enough."

"Right…" Dean sighed, wanting nothing more than to procrastinate this conversation until never. He hoped she wouldn't bring it up again so soon. Despite all of her Halliwell optimism, he knew just who he was and what he was destined to be. College, a normal job, a family…That wasn't in the cards for him.

He reached up to pull her in for a kiss, loving the way her body molded to his so perfectly. She was meant for so much more than him. She'd realize that sooner or later, but he'd make good use of the time he had left before she did.

"Look…Maybe you're right," he conceded. "Maybe I'll never be a hunter forever. Or maybe I will. Who the hell knows? But why do you gotta keep pushing this whole 'be a better you' crap? Just 'cuz the self-help books about finding your inner goddess really helped you out doesn't mean they're gonna do me any favors."

Lynnie levelled him with a knowing look. Every single time he started spouting crap intended to hurt, it meant he was deflecting at an Olympic level. "I'm pushing because I care," she insisted. "Surely, after all these years, you know that."

Her voice was calm and soothing. She wasn't taking the bait to get into a fight big enough to make her forget about this future talk nonsense. Dammit.

"I'm just sayin'…Look at Dad, okay? That's what my future's gonna look like," Dean said, knowing this to be true.

"A rough-around-the-edges, scruffy old guy who can be a selfish hunting robot?" she asked skeptically. "That's your ambition?"

He rolled his eyes, glaring at her. "No, a guy who ends up doing nothing but hunting for the rest of his life," he corrected her.

"John does that cuz of…" she trailed off, unwilling to bring his mom into the picture. He always got _super_ defensive at just the _mention_ of the late Mary Winchester. She didn't blame him. She couldn't imagine something ever happening to her mom. It would ruin her family, shatter it to pieces.

"'cuz of my mom," he said darkly, filling in the blanks for her. "Yeah, I know. What happened to my mom didn't just change dad. It changed _me_, too."

"I know," she soothed quickly, and she did.

"So, no, I'm not gonna go to college or have a stable nine-to-five or a four-oh-one-k, whatever the hell that is," he sat up, pulling Lynnie to sit up on his lap as he moved. "I'm not gonna live in the suburbs or go golfing or have friends 'down at the club'. Hell, I'm never even gonna have a dog. I'm never gonna be a normal guy, Lynnie. And…I'm okay with that."

As he said that, Dean realized that he believed what he was saying. His future was pretty set in stone, and he was actually okay with it. He was going to spend the rest of his days as a hunter, riding around from town to town in his beautiful Impala. Saving people, hunting things. It was the family business, after all.

So, if he didn't get to have the white picket fence, the two-point-five kids, the dog…The wife…That's okay. It _has_ to be okay.

"I just don't know if _you're_ okay with it, that's all," he shrugged, eyes fixed on her ear rather than her eyes.

"Well, of course I'm not," she confessed, hating the look that crossed his face then. It was as though he'd thought 'I knew it. I knew she'd think I wasn't good enough'. "Wait, you're not hearing me," she said, placing a hand on his cheek to tilt his face in her direction. "I'm not okay with it because I know you deserve so much better than this, Dean. You're smart. Smarter than John and smarter than Sam sometimes."

He snorted, rolling his eyes. "Now I _know_ you're lying," he told her. Dad and Sam were geniuses. Honestly, he was the family muscle and that was it.

"I'm not!" she insisted. "You're smart, even if you don't see it. I know you can do whatever you want in life, Dean, not just hunt. I'm pushing 'cuz I see that."

"Well, I don't," he shrugged. "And even if I did…It wouldn't matter. I know who I am. I know where I'm going. I'm just…Sorry that I'm not enough."

"What?" she laughed, shaking her head. "Dean, come on!"

"No, I'm serious," he insisted. "Listen, if we'd met now, you wouldn't look twice in my direction. Maybe we'd hook up once, if I'm lucky, but I wouldn't be the guy you'd think about having a future with. We're too different. And…I've got nothing to offer you. But we met a million years ago and that changed things for us. So, you got stuck with me. So, uh, I'm…I'm sorry that I'm disappointing you."

She smiled, gentle and loving, and wrapped her arms around his neck, snuggling as close to him as she could, foreheads pressed together. "Dean, no matter what, if you hunt for the rest of your life or you get a job as a waiter or you just sleep on my couch all day every day, you could never disappoint me," she told him genuinely, her heart clenching a little at the surprise in his eyes. "I'm always gonna be proud of who you are."

She looked as sincere as she sounded and something in him told him he didn't deserve everything that she was giving to him. He wasn't good enough, he wasn't…_Important_ enough to have that kind of love and devotion thrown his way. She would realize that at some point. But he was a selfish creature. Her love warmed his heart, warmed his body from the inside out, and he wanted as much of it for as long as he could have it.

So, he leaned in, capturing her pillow-soft lips in a sweet kiss, pulling her even closer until their bodies were molded together, hands smoothing down her back and feeling her heart racing against his chest. God, she was so intoxicating. He could kiss her forever.

"Aurgh!" a disgusted yell broke apart their kiss. They looked over to the doorway of the sitting room to see Chris standing there with three paper bags full of groceries balanced in his arms. He looked absolutely horrified at seeing them tangled up together on the couch. "Do you _mind_!? This is a public, family space!"

Lynnie rolled her eyes, glaring at her brother. "Do you have nothing better to do than be a peeping Tom?" she stood up from her spot on Dean's lap and walked over to him.

"Peeping Tom!?" he asked, insulted. "All I did was walk into the house! If you're gonna get all…Lovey-dovey, maybe don't do it where people can see!"

"Oh, so what you're suggesting is that we go to my room," she taunted.

Chris' eyes flashed and he eyed Dean with a protective glare. "That is _not_ what I meant," he stressed.

"I don't _care_ what you meant!" Lynnie snapped at him. "It's none of your business what Dean and I get up to. We're nineteen years old! Butt out!"

"Oh, you know what –"

"What? What's your little nugget of wisdom this time, big brother?" she mocked him, arms on her hips.

"Okay!" Piper interrupted as she walked in behind Chris. Unloading the two paper bags she was carrying into Lynnie's arms. "Why don't you two take your bickering into the kitchen and multi-task by putting away the groceries while you're at each other's throats?"

Taking her advice to heart, Piper shook her head as her two youngest bitched to each other all the way to the kitchen about privacy and minding one's business. Dean, feeling more than a little awkward at being caught out by his girl's older brother and now her mom, sat up on the couch and shared an uncomfortable smile with Piper.

"Hi," Piper laughed awkwardly.

"Hey, Aunt Piper," Dean said uneasily.

They stared at each other, at a loss for words, for a few seconds.

When a particularly loud bang that sounded as though Lynnie might have accidentally blown something up in her angry argument with her brother, Piper rolled her eyes. "I think I'd better step in before those two fools kill each other," she shook her head with a fond smile.

"Right…" Dean trailed off. Just as she was about to step away, he called out to her, halting her movement. Standing up slowly from the couch, Dean made a split-second decision. "I, uh, I was gonna ask if you needed any help at P3?"

Piper's eyebrows rose at the question. She'd hired him for the odd job here and there whenever he was in town, usually working as a bus boy or a waiter or a cashier at Halliwell's. He had been too young to work at P3…Even now.

"You're too young to work at P3," she pointed out to him with a grin, knowing he was trying to be sneaky.

His cheeks reddened a little and he shrugged, "Oh, come on. I know my way around a club."

"I'm sure you do," she said sarcastically, eyes flaring in amusement. "But you are still underaged and I'm not gonna risk my club being shut down cuz I hired a nineteen-year-old to work around alcohol."

Seeing the disappointment on his face, she sighed, bowing her head. She might not be able to hire him for P3 but maybe he _could_ start at Halliwell's. She was short of staff, ever since Peter moved to Oregon.

"Well…I do need a stock boy at Halliwell's," she said slowly, conceding. "And maybe sometimes you'd need to fill in as a handyman if Frank isn't there. Work a couple of shifts as a waiter if you wanna earn a little extra. The regulars are pretty good tippers."

Dean perked up a bit as she spoke. Halliwell's wasn't as cool as P3 but he'd take the cash anyway he'd get it. "Okay, cool," he agreed.

Piper felt a smile tug at the corners of her lips. "I haven't even told you how much the pay is," she pointed out.

"It doesn't matter," he answered truthfully. "Thanks, Aunt Piper."

She smiled, patting him on the arm gently. "Of course, honey," she said sincerely. "Be ready by eight thirty tomorrow morning. We'll go in together."

There was another small explosion. Piper shook her head. "This house survived over a century of demonic activity but those two are gonna destroy it in one day, I swear," she turned on her heel and stalked off towards the kitchen.

Dean grinned as he heard her enter the war zone and yell at her kids to cool down. He had a job for however long he was gonna be in San Francisco this time. Well, at least he'd have something to do now while everyone else was busy living their lives.

**********************************************************************************

_ **June 20th, 1998** _  
_ **San Francisco** _

"You know, I've been thinking about what you said," Dean said, popping a piece of bacon in his mouth. He was laying on top of a plaid picnic blanket Lynnie had gotten out of the hallway closet, watching the sunrise from the top of the Golden Gate bridge.

"Good," she grinned, reaching into the picnic basket she'd packed for them earlier to pull out a peanut butter smoothie she knew he'd never touch even if he was dying of starvation. "What did I say?"

"About our future," he reminded her. "About…Maybe one day getting out."

She looked over at him, surprised. "Wait…Really?" she was stunned. She knew he'd been pretty much settled in at Halliwell's over the past few weeks. He'd befriended the rest of Mom's friendly employees and he'd built a routine for himself – hell, she'd woken up the other day to Mom and Dean making breakfast together. It was creepy but kinda sweet. She didn't know that all of this normality had prompted him to have thoughts about life as something-other-than-a-hunter, though. The last time she'd brought it up, he'd been so uncomfortable with just broaching the subject.

He shrugged. "Well, I can't hunt forever, right?" he gave a flippant grin. "I could maybe settle down here someday."

"Yeah?" she asked, surprised but pleased. He loved that sweet little smile curving on her lips.

"Yeah," he confirmed. "I know my way around cars. You know, your dad said that if I really wanted, he could get me a job at a garage his friend owns."

"What, the restaurant not good enough for you?" she teased.

He grinned. "Hey, I love your mom for getting me that job, but the food industry is a special kind of hell," he said, only half-joking. "No, really, I love the restaurant but if I'm gonna stick to one job, might as well be something I really love, y'know?"

"No, I get it," she assured him. "And I'm sure Mom will too…Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Yeah," he said quietly, closing his eyes briefly to feel the refreshing, cool morning breeze. "I think…I think it really is."

"You love being a hunter, though," she said, watching him worriedly. She had wanted this for him, but honestly, she knew he'd be torn in two trying to make this work. Being a hunter wasn't just what he did, it was who he was. He deserved a normal life more than anyone she knew, even more than Sammy, but she didn't know if he could stick to it and be completely at peace with his decision.

"What, you trying to change my mind here?" he grinned at her.

She shook her head. "Just trying to make sure you won't regret anything," she replied.

"I'd never regret you," he blurted out, neck turning an interesting shade of magenta at that lame-ass confession. Lynnie blushed a pretty pink, a happy smile reaching her eyes and making them sparkle. He guessed if the occasional lame romantic crap got her looking like that, he could get it out once in a blue moon.

"You think John will let you?" she worried.

He sighed, heart growing heavy. "I don't know," he admitted. "I'm hoping your Mom can talk to him. You know, get him to let us stay here until Sam's done with high school. A couple of years living as a normie…That can't be too bad, right?"

She smiled a little, heart pounding. A part of her was saddened that he was planning to stick around for only a few years but a much larger part of her was thrilled that he was even considering any of this. She didn't think John would like both his sons staying put in one place for too long – their summers with the Halliwells had been a year-long battle way back when, if she remembered correctly. Her mom might have won then but she didn't think even Piper Halliwell could get John-freakin'-Winchester to allow his sons to live a normal life for a couple of years, potentially getting them to forget their training and making them unprepared for the hunter's life.

Either way, she was glad that she got to have him around in her day-to-day life for as long as fate would allow it this time around. Orbing back and forth to steal an hour or two of his time here and there before she had to return to school and work and family and life just wasn't the same as having him there, being a part of it all.

"And, uh, I was thinking…" he trailed off, uneasy and uncomfortable about having to talk about stuff like this. "You know, if you want, we could get an apartment instead of you living in a dorm."

She stared at him, shocked.

"I mean, they let students do that, right?" he asked, squirming a little at her lack of response. "Get an apartment?"

"Uh…" she coughed slightly. "Yes. Yeah, I mean, they do…Let us…After freshman year, we could opt to not live in the dorms…You'd want that?"

He shrugged. "Well, if we're gonna have any sort of a future together, we gotta start somewhere, right?" he smiled shyly.

He was extremely uncomfortable with the conversation, but her surprised, pleased reaction was more than worth it. He absentmindedly rubbed at his jacket pocket, feeling the crinkle of paper in there. It was the heaviest thing he'd ever carried and gave him the lightest feeling in the world, all at the same time. He wasn't sure that he could ever have the kind of future Lynnie wanted – the kind of future he dreamt about sometimes and could never bring himself to admit out loud – but he knew now that he was going to try his hardest to get just a slice of it if he could.

They had a few more extra minutes of peace as they finished their breakfast and watched the sun slowly rising in the sky. As orange gave way to a beautiful blue, they packed up their little picnic and Lynnie orbed them back to the Manor's living room.

She had to go to the hospital for her volunteer shift and he offered to drive her there.

"You sure? It's your first day off since you started work at the restaurant," she pointed out. "I don't want to take up your time."

"You kiddin' me?" he slung an arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to the side of her head. "I'll always want more time with my girl."

He dropped her off at the hospital after a fifteen-minute make-out session that got _way_ too heated. He pulled out of the parking lot, still grinning widely as he watched her in the rearview mirror, straightening her clothes and smoothing down her hair as she hurried towards the hospital's entrance.

He drove twenty minutes out of his way, his stomach churning with anxiety as he pulled up in front of his destination. He took a few minutes to compose himself, breathing deeply as Led Zeppelin kept him calm. Finally, once he was as calm as he could possibly get, he turned off the engine and got out of the car, locking Baby and slipping the keys in his pocket. God, it was killing him to keep this a secret from Lynnie and he could only hope that if she found out, she wouldn't kill him for real.

The place was almost completely hidden away, tucked in between a sandwich shop and a Chinese restaurant with a lewdly dressed waitress drawn onto its huge menu out front. He took a moment to leer at the picture – great marketing on their part, probably – before turning back to the task at hand. A tiny bell jingled above his head as he pushed open the front door.

The young woman who looked up to greet him was pretty, mocha-colored skin and sparkling brown eyes. He met her gaze nervously, barely smiling back in return.

"How can I help you?" she asked him, standing to welcome him.

Dean reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the leaflet he'd tucked inside days ago. Unfolding it and attempting to smooth out the crinkled page, he grimaced a little as he handed it over to the woman. There were a few different pictures on the leaflet, but he pointed to the one he meant.

"Do you have anything that looks like that?" he asked her, reaching into his jeans and pulling out the moonstone ring he'd taken from Lynnie's jewelry box yesterday. "This is her ring size."

The woman eyed the picture contemplatively, taking the moonstone ring from him. "I think we might have a few rings in that style," she assured him. "Come on. Let's get a good look at them."

Dean followed her, heart racing as she started pulling out diamond rings from their display cases.

************************************************************************************

_ **21st January 2006** _  
_ **San Francisco** _

Two weeks went by in a blur.

Dean soaked up his time with his daughter, unable to believe that this precious little karate-obsessed, classic-rock-listening, superhero-loving, Scooby-Doo-enthusiast was someone that he'd helped to create. Of course, he hadn't had anything to do with raising Wren, but he'd take the slightest bit of credit if he could.

She wore a ballerina tutu to karate class yesterday and was the best damn little fighter in the entire class. He couldn't have been prouder if he'd tried.

"So, we've gotta be at the Manor by seven," Lynnie said as she flitted around the kitchen, getting breakfast on the table. Parker, as useless as ever when it came to preparing food, yawned widely into her coffee mug. "Hey, Sleepyhead, I mean it. My mom will kill us if we're late."

"Right. I got it. Don't be late to the dinner to celebrate my party-girl sister finally owning her own club," Parker lifted her mug in a silent toast. "Go P.J."

Lynnie rolled her eyes, putting a glass of milk in front of Wren. Her daughter, perched on her perpetual spot on Dean's lap, ignored the milk and focused on her drawing of a farm.

"So, we're invited to this little party, right?" Dean asked, picking up a crayon to help color a cow orange. "Or is Peyton gonna explode if Sam and I show up?"

Parker grinned slyly. "I'd pay to see that," she admitted. Peyton, her elder sister, had been angered at the reappearance of Sam and Dean, saying that hunters only brought trouble wherever they went. No one else had sided with her, which had been a personal victory for Parker.

"Could we stow away the sisterly hatred for one night, please?" Lynnie demanded, cocking her hip and placing her hand on it.

"Isn't that what family dinners are for?" Parker shot back. "Hatred and arguments and resentment?"

"Let's not get deep with this," Lynnie smirked at her. "We're gonna show up, eat some awesome food, smile through a toast to PJ and come back here to drink ourselves silly."

"Just a normal night with family, then," Sam joked, looking up from his laptop for a split second.

Dean eyed his brother worriedly. He knew that while Sam had been more than happy for them to stick around in San Francisco for a little while longer so that Dean could get to know Wren, he'd been getting restless.

Sam had met Wren the day after Dean met her at the Manor.

He'd gone out for an early morning jog before Wren and Dean had woken up and had only gotten back to the apartment after Lynnie and Dean had already taken Wren out to school. Dean had gone off to pick Wren up from her school after lunch and taken her to the Manor for a snack with Piper before she slipped through the doorway to Magic School for her afternoon lessons.

Sam had finally gotten the chance to meet her once Dean had fetched her from Magic School later on in the evening, waiting anxiously in the kitchen with pizza from Wren's favorite joint (courtesy of Aunt Parker) and milkshakes. Wren had been shy, hiding behind Dean, but all Sammy had to do was crouch down, give her a patented Sam Winchester puppy-dog-look-and-gentle-smile and she'd been putty in his hands.

_"I'm Sam," he smiled, tilting his head as he met the curious eyes peeking out behind Dean's bowlegs. "I'm your Dad's brother. Do you know what that means?"_

_"You're my uncle," Wren murmured, stepping out behind Dean just a little._

_Dean watched two of the most important people in his life meet each other for the first time, a fond smile threatening to break free. "You can call him Uncle Sammy," he urged Wren. Sam shot him an irritated look._

_Wren pursed her little, full lips as she stared up at Sam. "Are you Daddy's big brother or little brother?" she wondered._

_"Little brother," Sam confirmed._

_Wren grinned a little. "But you're taller than daddy!" her voice was tinged with laughter._

_"Hey!" Dean protested playfully, an amused smile on his face as he watched his kid and his brother get to know each other. "Rub it in, why don't you?"_

_Sam grinned at Wren, "I am taller than him. And you're right – this makes me your uncle and you're my niece. It's very nice to meet you, Wren."_

_"I want a little brother," Wren confessed to him, caution threw out the window as she was taken in by Sam's charm. "Mommy said no."_

_"Well, I can't help you there," Sam laughed. "But I've got pizza and milkshakes. Will that do?"_

_Wren perked up, cheering a little as her eyes caught sight of the delicious dinner Sam had displayed up on the kitchen counter. Forgetting her complete fear of strangers, she darted out from behind Dean and took Sam by the hand._

_"Come on, Uncle Sammy," she urged, using the moniker Dean had encouraged her to use. As annoyed as he'd been when Dean had introduced the idea, Sam didn't hate the way it sounded coming from the little girl's mouth. "I hope there's pineapple on the pizza."_

_"Are you kidding? Is there any other way to eat pizza?" Sam grinned as the little girl tugged him forward._

_Dean followed close behind. "Ugh, gross," he complained. "Pineapples on pizza? That's crazy."_

_"Yeah, crazy delicious!" Sam retorted, sharing a conspiring grin with Wren. "Right, kiddo?"_

_"Yep!" she beamed at him._

The two of them had been thick as thieves since then. Dean had gotten a warm feeling in his chest every single time he watched Sammy and Wren interact with one another. He had always been the one to get along better with kids out of the two of them – Sam was the younger brother and that hadn't changed a bit when they'd met up with the Halliwells. Only PJ was younger than him and that hadn't counted – they were born just months apart. Sam hadn't had any experience with little kids while Dean had been Sammy's mother and father since he was four years old. He'd helped the Halliwells babysit a lot of the younger kids, too, since he was one of the eldest kids in the family, after all.

Dean was comfortable around kids. He could get them to laugh, to joke around with him…He could calm them down after a bad dream. Sam was awkward at best.

But Wren had shared one slice of pizza with him and had grown besotted with her Uncle Sammy.

Despite how hard Sam had fallen for his newly discovered niece, Dean knew that he was anxious to get back on the road. Dean was, too, but he was scrambling to get as much time as he could with Wren – and Lynnie.

"Mommy, I'm not drinking milk anymore," Wren informed Lynnie, not looking up from the farmyard she was drawing with her dad.

Lynnie, used to Wren's sudden declarations, barely looked up from frying the bacon. "Why's that, sweetie?" she asked casually.

"Because I don't want to steal the milk from the baby cows," Wren answered promptly. "If I drink the milk, how do they get it? I'm not a baby anymore. I don't need milk."

"Milk makes your bones strong," Dean countered.

"My bones are already strong, daddy," Wren told him. "You said so yesterday when we played Aurors and Death Eaters."

Dean shot a grin at Lynnie. "Can't argue with that," he shrugged. Lynnie glared at him without any heat. Honestly, Daddy Dean was an adorable thing to witness. She'd pick her battles just to keep this going.

"Any luck with your visions, Sam?" Lynnie asked, changing the subject.

Sam lifted his shoulder slightly, a discouraged look on his face. "I can't really get how to control them," he sighed, stopping his research for just a moment to drink his still-warm coffee. "I managed to get one the other day just by trying but it was a useless vision – going grocery shopping with Parker."

Parker shot him a sympathetic smile. "It'll take time, Sam," she assured him.

"Yeah? How long did it take you and your sisters?" he countered knowingly. He'd been around psychics his whole life. He knew better.

Parker shook her head. "That's different. We were born with our visions. PJ still gets confused whether her first memory was in real-time or if it was a premonition. You just discovered your gift a few months ago," she pointed out to him. "You get frustrated too easily. You have to relax into it."

Sam shook his head. "Yeah, well, maybe I'm not supposed to control these visions, did you ever think of that?" he shot at her.

"Not even for a second," she grinned, feeling a pleasant warmth spread through her belly when he smiled back, hazel eyes sparkling her way.

Dean and Lynnie shared an amused look at Parker and Sam's not-so-subtle flirting and googly eyes. Dean bit back the urge to embarrass his little brother, not wanting to screw up whatever they had going on right there. Truthfully, he was proud of Sammy for going after the girl he'd always crushed on. He was, also, relieved. Sam had been in a pretty big funk since Jessica – understandably. He just didn't want that to be the last time Sam was happy. He was so young; he had his whole life ahead of him.

Dean wanted Sam to have someone, the way Dean did. If there's one thing that finding his way back to Lynnie had taught him, it was that sometimes they _do_ get to be happy. He might not be with Lynnie right _now_, but he still had Wren. The three of them were still a family. He'd get Lynnie back someday, he knew that. He felt it in his _bones_. He was happy – the happiest he'd been in a long time.

As though the universe heard him, it decided to throw a curveball their way, just to remind him that he wasn't meant to be happy.

A swirl of bright white and blue orbs appeared in the middle of the kitchen, fading away a second later to reveal Lynnie's older brother Chris. His shaggy brown hair was a mess, covered in soot, and his clothes were torn and bloody.

Eyes wild, he swiveled around to find his sister. Once he spotted her, he shouted a warning, "Incoming!"

As though on cue, darklighters appeared, crossbows of deadly arrows loaded and aimed. Dean pulled Wren into a tight hug, curving his body over hers to protect her. Sliding down, he pressed her tiny body into the velvet material of the breakfast nook bench, covering her and using his body as a shield. If he were to be shot with a darklighter arrow, it would hurt like a bitch, but it wouldn't be the poison that it would be to Wren.

Lynnie, Parker and Sam sprang into action.

Lynnie immediately blew up the darklighter closest to her. Parker, having had trained in martial arts since she was a little girl thanks to her mother, swiped a fork off of the table and stabbed another darklighter in the neck. As he howled in pain, she kneed him in the jewels, elbowing him in the nose when he bent over in pain. The force was enough to send him reeling back. She grabbed the crossbow he'd lost his grip on and shot him with his own arrow, aiming the next one at his friend.

Sam grappled with another darklighter, getting in a few good shots and kicking the crossbow he held out of his hands and out of reach altogether. He was strangling the darklighter, close to knocking him out, when the last darklighter struck him on the head from behind. Sam lost his grip on the neck of the darklighter beneath him and it was enough for him to knock Sam off of him. Sam punched and kicked as the two ganged up on him, gasping in relief when the one to his right was blown to smithereens. The one on Sam's right straightened up, outraged. Seeing that it had been Lynnie who had blown up his friend, he aimed his crossbow at her and shot. Chris flung his arm out, silently orbing the arrow back in the direction it came from. The arrow pierced the darklighter through the heart and he burst into flames, vanquished with a pained howl.

All darklighters vanquished, Lynnie turned to face her older brother. Throwing her hands up and glaring at him, she snapped, "Are you out of your mind!?"

Breathing hard over his most recent escape from death by supernatural evil, Chris attempted an innocent look, "What?"

"You brought darklighters to breakfast?" she narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you insane?"

Dean, realizing that the threat was now gone, slowly straightened up. Assessing the area for danger and finding none, he let Wren up as well, checking her over.

"I thought the apartment is warded against evil?" Sam asked as he got up to his feet.

"It is," Parker replied, grimacing as she slowly set the crossbow down. "Someone must have removed a crystal from its place."

All eyes turned to Chris who gave up on his innocent act, sighing as he took out a pyrite crystal from his pocket. "Look, I'll put it back," he assured Lynnie.

"Damn right you will!" she snapped at him. "Chris, the whole point of this apartment is so that Wren would have a semi-normal childhood – with no demonic attacks!"

He rolled his eyes at her. "Oh, come on. She was born surrounded by a horde of demons trying to kill her," he said.

"Yeah, don't remind me," she muttered, shaking her head.

"She's fine," Chris continued nonchalantly. "She's used to demons."

Dean tilted Wren's face up to look at him. While there was a tinge of fear behind her green eyes, she looked relatively calm. "You okay, bud?" he asked gently.

She nodded. "Yeah," she sighed. "It's okay. The demons are dead now. Don't worry, daddy."

He grinned slightly. Even though he didn't want his daughter to have to be used to demons, he was also incredibly proud of her for being so brave. He told her so and watched as the fear fled her eyes, her beaming smile reaching from one ear to the other.

Chris shot a look at Lynnie. "See?" he said smugly.

"No, not 'see'," Lynnie scowled. "Just because she's not mentally and psychologically scarred doesn't mean this was okay, Chris! What were you thinking!?"

"I was thinking I was outnumbered, and I needed help!" he snapped back at her. "Y'know, if you wanna blame someone, blame Wyatt! He's the one in surgery right now! I would've orbed to him if he wasn't."

Lynnie glared silently at him for a long, awkward moment.

Pursing his lips together, Chris jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Well, I'm gonna go," he said, orbing out as the last word left his lips.

Lynnie shook her head, almost shaking in anger. "I'm gonna kill him," she stated flatly.

"Easy, tiger," Parker grinned. "If I have to play nice with my stupid sister, then you've got to play nice with your stupid brother."

Lynnie rolled her eyes, making her way over to Dean and Wren. Smiling gently at her daughter who was clinging onto her dad, Lynnie perched at the edge of the bench. Running a hand down her kid's soft sandy brown locks, she looked Wren in the eyes to make sure that her baby girl was alright.

"Are you okay, honey?" she cooed, smiling as Wren nodded her head with a small grin on her little face. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"It's okay, mommy," Wren reassured her. "You're just being a superhero."

"What's mommy's superhero name?" Dean asked, distracting her from the attack. He admired Lynnie's approach to it, though. Dad had never talked about any of the evil they saw together. One of the very first creatures Dean had ever seen in person was a werewolf and Dad had barely batted an eye once it was all over. He had definitely _not_ checked up on Dean to make sure he wasn't terrified out of his mind by what he'd just witnessed – a monster, straight out of a horror movie. John Winchester was of the very firm belief that if you didn't think about it or talked about it or made a big deal out of it, it wouldn't bother you so much.

He knew that, as kids, Lynnie and her brothers were witness to evil beings getting vanquished in their home every other day. It was par for the course, being a Charmed One's kid. He also knew that this was the main reason Lynnie had decided to move into her own apartment a couple of years ago, surrounding it with protection crystals so evil can't get in. She didn't want Wren to grow up seeing demons everywhere. It was inevitable for Wren to be a part of the fight against evil but Lynnie had confessed to him that she wanted to delay that inevitability for as long as she could.

It must be an annoyance to her that her own brother was bringing darklighters to her doorstep.

"Super Mommy!" Wren answered Dean with a bright smile, shaking him out of his thoughts.

Lynnie smiled fondly at her little girl. "C'mere, baby," she pulled Wren into her arms, snuggling her close and pressing kisses to her hair. "Mommy's got to go to work for a couple of hours. I promise I'll be back by lunch time. Okay?"

"Okay," Wren played with Lynnie's hair, twisting some of the strands together in a messy braid. "Can we go to Nora's for lunch?"

Lynnie narrowed her eyes playfully at her daughter. "Are you asking because you want their chocolate pie?" she asked knowingly.

Wren grinned cheekily. "_Maybe_," she answered evasively, giggling when Lynnie pressed kisses onto her cheeks and nose.

Lynnie looked over at Dean. "Do you have stuff to do?" she asked, eyes darting over to Sam quickly. She, too, had noticed his antsy behavior the past couple of days.

Shaking his head imperceptibly to signal for her to keep mum about it, he replied, "Nah. Wren and I are good. We might go over to the Manor and work on your dad's car."

Wren beamed at her dad. She enjoyed being his little helper in the garage, even more than she enjoyed being Grandpa's little helper. "Yay!" she cheered, excited.

Lynnie smiled. "Okay, well, have fun, you two," she kissed Wren on the cheek and presented her own cheek for Wren to press her lips to. "I've got to go. Any more demons show up, let me know. I'll kill Chris for them."

Dean rolled his eyes, knowing that Wyatt often had to play peace broker between the two. He was glad he only had one brother.

Parker watched with bleary eyes as Lynnie rushed out of the room. "That girl has way too much energy for barely sunrise," she yawned, downing the last of her coffee. "I've gotta meet up with PJ. She's got some boy trouble – again."

Rolling her eyes at her sister's fickle-minded misfortune, she placed her coffee mug in the dishwasher and patted Sam on the shoulder as she walked out of the kitchen.

Dean eyed Sam as his younger brother focused intently on his laptop screen. Wren, impatient and bored, hopped down from the bench and made her way to where Miss Kitty was eating. She crouched down next to the cat and stroked gently down her back, grinning when Miss Kitty abandoned her food and jumped onto her lap for some affectionate cuddles, still chewing kitty kibble.

"You wanna head over to the Manor with us?" Dean asked Sam as he snagged another strip of bacon to munch on.

Sam looked up briefly to shoot his brother a small smile. "Nah, I'm good," he shrugged a little. "I've got some work I need to do here."

"Work? What work?" Dean asked in trepidation.

"Look, don't worry about it, alright?" Sam forced a smile. He didn't want to let Dean know that he was trying to search for Dad or The Demon. He really had nowhere to start – both Dad and The Demon weren't exactly leaving breadcrumbs behind. But he had to try. He had to look. He needed to avenge Jess. It was the only thing keeping him going. He loved Wren and no one deserved to get a family like that more than Dean but being around Lynnie and Wren was just making his heart hurt. It wasn't too long ago that he had an entire future with Jess planned out, kids and all. Parker soothed some of his pain, but he needed more. He couldn't move on until Jessica's killer was dead.

Dean shot him an exasperated look. "Do you really expect me to leave it at that?" he asked, shaking his head. "Just tell me."

Sam sighed, closing his eyes. God, why couldn't Dean just leave things alone? "Alright, fine, but remember – you're the one who insisted on finding out," he warned. At Dean's nod, he revealed, "I've been trying to find Dad. And The Demon. Or one of…I don't know. It doesn't matter."

Dean frowned, silent.

He was still pissed off at Dad for ruining everything – if he hadn't interfered, Dean would've known Wren for five years longer. He would've been there for everything – sonograms and morning sickness and swollen ankles. He would've been there at the birth. He probably would be married to Lynnie right now. Thanks to Dad's ridiculous paranoia and meddling, he'd lost everything. It was pure luck that brought him back to the Halliwells' orbit. It broke his heart to think of Lynnie, alone and pregnant. He thought of her, a young single mother still in school, telling the little girl she was raising that the man she believed had abandoned her was a superhero fighting monsters and saving the world…And it made him angry. He couldn't forgive Dad. Not yet.

But he also knew that they needed to find Dad. The Demon was more important than anger and forgiveness. Sam needed to avenge Jess and Dean needed to avenge Mom. And now, with Wren in the picture, Dean needed to make sure The Demon never got to her.

"Okay," Dean said slowly, sitting back in his seat. "You could've just told me that."

Sam blinked, surprised. "Well, I figured you were still pissed at him," he admitted.

"I am," Dean replied. "Probably will be for the next couple of decades. But that don't mean I don't wanna find him. Or help to kill The Demon. That's kinda been our life's mission, y'know? That hasn't changed."

The brothers exchanged a sad, knowing smile. Nothing would ever change the reason they did what they did.

"Daddy," Wren interrupted, climbing back up onto the bench next to Dean. "Can we go over to Grandma's house now?"

Dean grinned down at her. "Sure thing, kid," he ruffled her hair, smirking when she giggled and ducked to avoid her hair being messed up further. "Come on, let's go wash up first. Grandma will put daddy in time out if you show up in pajamas."

Wren's eyes widened and she scrambled to get to her bedroom to get ready for the day. Dean slid out of the booth, ready to follow her.

"Let me know what you find," Dean told Sam, waiting until the younger man nodded before he went to catch up with Wren.

Lynnie was busier than she'd expected to be at the hospital on her half-day shift. There was a pile-up on the highway that had the ER flooded with patients and she spent most of her day attending to the injured.

Mind still at work thinking about her latest patients and the paperwork that she was still behind on, Lynnie rushed home later than she'd intended. Parker, Sam and Dean were all dressed and ready to go. She'd noticed on her way to the bathroom that Wren had dressed in her cowboy costume from last Halloween, complete with spurs and cowboy hat. Clearly, she'd bargained to pick her own outfit and had been stubborn enough not to let anyone talk her out of it. Grinning to herself at the thought of Dean scratching his head at Wren's insistence, she took a quick shower to get rid of 'hospital smell' and changed into an appropriate outfit for the celebration dinner.

Everyone else was already at the Manor by the time they reached. PJ was halfway to stupid drunk and Peyton, rolling her eyes and scowling as usual, was berating her. "You know you can't spend the nights drunk anymore, right?" she was telling PJ. "That's not how you run a business."

"Peyton, lay off," PJ glared at her, downing the rest of her champagne and reaching for another glass. "It's my party. I can get drunk if I want to. That's how you have fun. You should try it."

"Be nice," Lynnie reminded Parker in a whisper. "Mom! Dad! Hi," she greeted her parents with kisses. "Sorry we're late. It's my fault."

"We figured," Piper smiled knowingly. "It's our curse to have two kids working in the medical field. You're always late for something."

"Well, we come by it honestly. Right, Dad?" Lynnie grinned at her Dad, thinking not for the first time that he might have passed down his love for helping people via western medicine to her and Wyatt somehow.

"Right," Leo chuckled. Noticing Wren all decked out in cowboy gear, he dropped to his knees to get a good look at her. "Hey, there's my favorite cowboy. I like the hat."

Wren beamed at him. "Thanks, Grandpa. Maybe next Halloween, you can be a cowboy, too," she suggested.

Leo tugged on the brim of her hat. "That sounds like fun," he agreed.

Lynnie grabbed two champagne flutes – one for her and one for Parker, smiling as she watched Dean shake hands with her brothers and father, kissing her mother on the cheek to say hello. He was fitting back in with the Halliwells seamlessly, as though their five years apart had never happened.

Parker watched on with a grimace as her sisters squabbled. Her parents were trying to be the buffers, but Peyton and PJ could be mean if they wanted to. She honestly had no energy to be the peacekeeper between them. Magic School had been busier than usual, since it was just starting back up after the holidays, and between her duties at the School and helping Sam work on his visions, she was barely getting any sleep at all.

She took the champagne Lynnie held out to her and sipped at it slowly. "Do you think it's bad if I just hide here and let my parents handle them for the night?" she muttered to Lynnie.

"Well, I think the Manor isn't big enough for you to hide from them all night," Lynnie responded. "Come on, you haven't even talked to Peyton in weeks!"

Parker rolled her eyes. "Right, like I need another lecture on how to live my life, on top of everything else," she said sarcastically.

Wren, having grown bored of grown-up talk, had demanded Daddy carry her so she could at least be at eye level with the others. Wrapped up safe in her dad's arms, she ran her hand down his cheeks, giggling to herself at the feel of his prickly stubble against her fingers. She liked doing that. It gave her fingers a funny feeling. She squirmed, laughing harder, when Daddy snatched her wrist in one hand and brought her hand to his lips, playfully mouthing at her fingers like he was about to eat them up.

The doorbell rang and Chris excused himself to answer it. Seeing the familiar face on the other side, Chris grinned and welcomed him inside.

"Hey, man, didn't know you'd be back by today," Chris shook hands with him.

"Yeah," Logan Daniels smiled at his girlfriend's older brother. "Just got in. Almost got delayed but thank God it all worked out in the end." Holding up the roses and chocolate in his arms, he asked, "Where's Lynnie?"

"In there, with everyone else," Chris closed the door. "It's been a crazy couple of weeks."

"Yeah? Lots of demons to vanquish?" Logan guessed with a smile. He wasn't worried. Lynnie was a witch of the Charmed persuasion, after all.

"No, thank God," Chris laughed. "I don't think Lynnie needs extra stress on top of Dean coming back into her life."

Logan froze, Chris' words alien to him as his mind fought to catch up to his meaning. "Dean?" he asked, eyeing the other man warily. "Dean as in…Her ex? Wren's father?"

Chris halted his movement, his head snapping around to meet Logan's wide-eyed gaze. "You…You didn't know?" he asked incredulously. The guy might have been out of town for the past month on a business trip but surely Lynnie would have called and warned him about this? Hell, she could've even done some intercontinental orbing to break the news to him in person. Surely she hadn't expected to just drop the bombshell on him with Dean and the rest of the family in the room.

"No," Logan frowned, moving past Chris to get to the party with everyone else. "No, she didn't."

"Well, this is awkward," Chris muttered to himself as he followed Logan back to where the others were congregated.

The party was in full swing as they waited for dinner to be ready. Logan surveyed the room, searching for the sole redhead in the family. Spotting her chatting to Wyatt, his eyes were drawn to the unfamiliar man standing next to her.

He was tall, obviously muscled…And he looked like he should be plastered all over billboards across the country. Wren was in his arms, cuddling close to him and being affectionate in a manner she'd never been with him. It made a pang of jealousy course through him. He'd been trying so hard to get to know her and she'd been as aloof as any five-year-old could be. He pushed down that ugly feeling – as much of a shock as this was, he knew in his bones that he should be happy for Wren. This Dean guy was her dad. She should get a chance to know him, even if he was a deadbeat who had wanted nothing to do with her for the past five years…Right?

He watched with burning eyes as Dean jiggled Wren in his arms, making her giggle at the funny movement, and shifted closer to Lynnie. She smiled up at him, soft expression on her face and a sparkle in her eyes, reaching out to run her fingers through Wren's hair. They looked like a family and suddenly, without ever wanting to feel that way, he felt like he was the other guy, the one standing in the way of a family.

Chris, stepping out from behind Logan, cleared his throat. "Lynnie, look who's here," he called out.

Lynnie swiveled around at Chris' words. Catching sight of Logan standing there, a barely concealed look of surprise and anger on his face, Lynnie's eyes widened. "Logan!" she said, forcing a smile on her lips. She was just remembering now that she had invited him to PJ's celebration dinner weeks ago before he'd left for London on his business trip. "Hey! You made it!"

Logan matched her strained smile, telling her, "Yeah, I just got in." He stepped forward to hand the bouquet of flowers to PJ. "Congrats on the new venture, PJ," he said.

"Aw, aren't you the sweetest," PJ grinned at him.

Parker took the opportunity to pull Lynnie aside, a little further away from Dean, so that she could whisper to her, "You forgot about your boyfriend, didn't you?"

"I didn't forget about him!" Lynnie protested through clenched teeth and a fake smile. "I just…forgot that I invited him here."

Parker shot her a look. "There's a difference?" she questioned.

"Shh!" Lynnie waved her off.

Logan pressed a kiss to Piper's cheek and handed her the box of chocolates he'd gotten for her in London. "Thanks for having me, Piper," he smiled.

"Of course, sweetie," Piper grinned, eyeing Logan and Lynnie awkwardly. "Uh…I should check on dinner."

Logan nodded, focusing his attention on Lynnie. "Lynnie," he stepped towards her. A wary eye on the scruffy hunter and scoffing slightly as Dean puffed up defensively, Logan pressed a kiss to Lynnie's soft lips. Despite how angry he was at being kept out of the loop about something so important, he was thrilled to be back with her. Closing his eyes briefly as he pulled her into his arms, he soaked her in for a moment before turning his attention to the littlest Halliwell.

"Hey, Wren," he greeted her, grinning when he got a shy smile in response. "I got you something from London. Everyone else isn't going to be getting this for months but a friend of mine found out how special you are, and he let me get this for you…"

Logan pulled out a copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Wren was a fanatic Potterhead. Lynnie read her the books to her on repeat for bedtime. He had accompanied Lynnie and Wren to see Goblet of Fire twice in the theatres last year. He'd wanted to get something special for her from his trip since he'd missed Christmas with them, and chancing upon the opportunity to get a super early release of the movie on DVD from a friend who works at the studio was just the perfect thing.

Wren took the DVD from him, eyes going round in excitement. "Wow! Thanks, Logan!" she beamed at him, gripping the DVD tightly in her hands. She turned in Dean's arms to show it to him. "Look, Daddy!"

Logan's smile slipped off his face. Daddy? Already? Whoa.

Dean eyed the DVD with the barest hint of interest, flicking his gaze away dismissively. "Cool," he said flatly.

Logan gritted his teeth. He hadn't even officially met the man and the hunter was already getting on his nerves. One look at the apprehensive expression on Lynnie's face had him reeling himself in. He reached out, extending a hand, "Hey. I'm Logan."

Dean stared at him for a long moment before he grasped his hand in a shake. "Dean," he replied. Logan winced a little at the too-strong grip, discretely shaking his hand once Dean let it go. He'd almost lost all feeling thanks to that handshake.

Giving Lynnie a meaningful look, he asked, "Lynnie, could I talk to you for a minute? Privately?"

"Uh…Sure," Lynnie replied brightly, handing her champagne glass off to Parker, who sipped at her own and watched the whole thing in amusement. She followed Logan out to the front porch with trepidation, grinning at him awkwardly the moment the door closed behind them, getting them out of sight and earshot of her nosey family.

"Lynnie, what the hell?" he threw his hands up in frustration. "Dean Winchester is in your freakin' house!"

"I know," she held up her hands to stall his anger. "I'm sorry. I meant to tell you but I…forgot."

"You forgot to let me know about something as big as this?" he asked incredulously.

"Things have been so hectic these past few weeks," she wrapped her arms around herself defensively.

"A few weeks?" he wondered, shaking his head. "Just how long has he been here? How did this happen? I thought he didn't want to be a part of Wren's life?"

"That…was a misunderstanding," Lynnie shook her head. At his expectant look, she continued, "As it turned out, he never even found out about Wren."

"How is that even possible?" he asked, skeptical. "All you'd have to do is orb to him to tell him."

"Someone hid him under powerful hoodoo magic," she explained, leaving out the part where it was John's doing. She may not be John's biggest fan right now, but she knew Dean was extremely sensitive about the subject. Logan was a stranger to him. He didn't deserve for her to talk to other people about his dad's actions. "Neither of us could communicate with each other. And he never got my voicemail letting him know, either."

Logan pointed a finger at her. "That's suspicious," he told her. "You really believe that?"

"Yes, I do," she said firmly. "We know who did it."

"Who?" he demanded.

"It's not my place to say," she insisted.

He stared at her, disliking that she was now sharing secrets with Dean. "And he just broke this hoodoo spell all of a sudden?" he questioned, still disbelieving.

"It's a long story," she sighed. "All that matters is that when he found out about Wren, he wanted everything to do with her…And I can't turn him away from that. Not when she deserves this. I have to do what's right by her."

Nodding his head, he placed his hands on his hips. "I get that," he said genuinely. "What I don't get is why you didn't tell me."

"Like I said – it's been busy," she reminded him, frustrated.

"Too busy for you to orb to me for twenty minutes to tell me about him?" he demanded. "Or a phone call. You've been avoiding my calls for weeks. I'm guessing it's because he suddenly showed back up."

"I've been helping Dean and Wren get to know each other," she explained, brows furrowing together. "That's all!"

"They seem to know each other well enough if she's calling him 'daddy' already," Logan pointed out, unable to keep the jealousy out of his voice completely.

"That's who he is!"

"Right," he shook his head. "Look, I want nothing more than for Wren to get everything she wants, even if that means I've got to tolerate that meathead hunter in there for her sake. I just…I want you to be honest with me, Lynnie."

Catching her gaze, he asked quietly, voice hurt, "How would you feel if I've been hanging out with my ex for weeks without letting you know?"

"I'd be upset," Lynnie admitted, stepping forward and pulling him in for a hug. "You're right. I'm sorry. My world was turned upside down for the second time in five years and I…I used it as an excuse. You don't deserve that. I promise…I'll be honest with you."

He allowed himself the comfort of her embrace for a few long moments before he pulled back. Steeling himself, he asked, "So, tell me. Dean being back…Does that change things for us?"

"No," she replied immediately, feeling a slight sting of guilt at her reply. "It doesn't. Dean…It's been five years for us. I care about you, Logan. I do."

Smiling at her response, he drew her in for a kiss, ignoring the doubt churning in his gut.

********************************************************************************

The dinner was as awkward as Parker had suspected. Most of the awkwardness came from Dean and Logan, which made Lynnie feel like she was in a glass bowl, her entire family shooting her furtive looks the whole night.

The awkwardness got a little tenser when it was time to leave the Manor. Logan had been shocked and upset to find out that Dean had been staying over at the apartment.

"We've been together for over six months and I've _barely_ had dinner at your place," Logan had whispered to her, a few feet away from where Dean was standing, as smug as he could be with a sleeping little cowboy in his arms. "He's been back for a few weeks and already he's sleeping over?"

"In the guest room! With Sam!" Lynnie had whispered back. "He and I are not romantically involved, okay? It's different for him to stay over. His sole purpose of staying over is to be there for Wren."

"When she's sleeping?" he retorted. "What, he just hangs out watching over her twenty-four-seven?"

"Look, I don't wanna argue about this anymore," Lynnie said, feeling exhausted that they were going about in circles. "I'm not gonna kick him out just because it makes you uncomfortable. Wren wants him there."

"Fine," Logan said, a thought suddenly coming to him. "Then I'm coming, too."

"Logan…" she gave him a look. "Are you saying that you can't trust me to that extent? You have to be there to make sure nothing happens between me and Dean?"

"What? No! That's not what I'm saying!"

"Good," she said. "I'll call you tomorrow, Logan."

She had refused to meet Dean's eyes as they orbed home. He'd sensed her reluctance to talk about Logan, or anything else for that matter, and had excused himself when they'd orbed back to the apartment. He'd offered to get Wren settled in bed and she'd taken him up on it gratefully, needing some time to decompress.

Sam had disappeared to the guest room with a quiet 'goodnight', leaving Parker behind to hover over Lynnie, waiting for the right moment to start the conversation.

Lynnie, knowing that Parker would want to talk about Logan and Dean's strained first meeting, kept silent as she stepped into the kitchen. Parker watched as Lynnie kicked off her heels, putting on a kettle and getting the chamomile ready. She, just as silently, pulled out two mugs and placed them in front of Lynnie.

Once they had steaming mugs of chamomile tea in their hands, Parker took in a deep breath, eyeing Lynnie worriedly. "So…" she started.

Lynnie looked up at her, a warning tone in her voice as she said, "Parker. I don't want to talk about this right now. I've already had one argument about Dean tonight. No, two, actually. I don't need a third."

Shrugging slightly, Parker said, "Well, can you blame Logan? If he's the one going home with his hot, leggy, supermodel ex, you'd be just as pissed."

Lynnie shot her an exasperated look. "His ex is not a hot, leggy supermodel," she rolled her eyes.

"No, but Dean is," she quipped. At Lynnie's scrunched up face, Parker chuckled, "Oh, c'mon. Have you _seen_ the guy? He's sex on bowlegs."

"Parker," Lynnie shook her head.

"This isn't me trying to steal your man. This is just me having working eyes," Parker held up her hands defensively.

Lynnie closed her eyes, trying to shut out Parker's crazy commentary. Parker watched her for a moment, blowing on her tea before taking a sensitive sip. "Can we be real here for a second?" she said, interrupting Lynnie's peace. "You've been with Logan for, what, a little over six months? In all that time, do you feel for him even a fraction of what you feel for Dean?"

"Felt," Lynnie corrected immediately. "What I felt for Dean. Past tense."

"Semantics," Parker shrugged.

Lynnie shook her head, sighing. "Look, me and Dean…There's a lot of history there. And we have a kid together," she pointed out. "It's different."

"Well, you didn't have a kid together when you were involved," Parker retorted. "The way you felt about each other…It was all-consuming. Your worlds revolved around each other. Speaking as an empath, you've never once felt that way about Logan."

Lynnie pushed her mug aside, standing up from the bar stool and walking towards the fridge to look for something chocolatey to soothe her frayed nerves. "Dean was my first love! Of _course_ the way I was with him was different!" she denied, pulling out some leftover cake from the other day. She placed the plate on the kitchen island, unwrapping the saran wrap and taking out two forks, handing one over to Parker.

Parker smiled in silent gratitude, digging her fork into the cake. "Well, my first love was Katie Finnegan. Remember her?" she prompted, thinking back to the blonde Irish girl she'd known and loved in high school. "I loved her like crazy, too, but I haven't compared every person I've been with since to her. I haven't been having dreams about her. Hell, I don't even think about her every single day. You do that with Dean. Do you do that with Logan?"

"We've only been together for six months!" Lynnie protested. "Dean and I knew each other for _years_ before we ever got together!"

"Honey, six months is half a year! How long do you have to wait until you start feeling more for him? Half a decade?" she cocked an eyebrow at her oblivious, in-denial cousin. "Six months is more than enough time to move past 'like' to 'maybe love'. Are you moving past 'like'?"

Lynnie glared at her, fighting the urge to give her the biggest bitch face ever. "What, are we in sixth grade?" she complained.

Parker ignored that. "Have you thought about a future with him?" she pressed. "Let's not talk 'marriage and kids' future. Let's just talk about him spending the night here sometimes. Have you ever thought about letting that happen?"

Feeling like she was suddenly claustrophobic, Lynnie exhaled loudly. "Parker, why are you insisting that we talk about this?" she asked, irritated.

Parker let up a little, reaching out to grasp Lynnie's hand. "Because, honey. I love you," she smiled, happy to see Lynnie's tense shoulders relaxing a little and a small smile curling onto Lynnie's lips. "And I just want what's best for you. You're trying really hard to hold onto something here and, for the life of me, I can't figure out why."

Looking away from Parker's gaze, Lynnie took another bite of chocolate cake, letting the fudgy goodness melt in her mouth and settle in her belly before she admitted, "I…Is it really horrible if I can't figure out why, either?"

Parker patted her hand consolingly. "Oh, sweetie," she sighed. "You just need to figure out what you want and where things stand. It's not fair on anyone to keep dragging things on if your heart's not into it a hundred percent."

********************************************************************************

_ **22nd January 2006** _  
_ **San Francisco** _

She hadn't had a good night's sleep for the first time in a _really_ long time.

Her mind kept replaying Logan's words to her, his hurt face as clear as day. Her heart hurt with the guilt she felt as she thought about Parker's advice. When she finally did fall into a restless sleep, she dreamt of the night Dean had proposed to her. She woke up smiling before her brain caught up to reality and the disappointment and guilt hit her like a freight train all over again.

She liked Logan and, to be honest with herself, if Dean hadn't shown up again in her life, she could've seen making things work between them all the way. He came from a long line of good witches, so he understood her responsibilities. He was smart and good-looking and kind and he paid attention to the little quirks she had. He was sweet and she liked him so damn much, the first guy she'd felt something stronger than a passing attraction to since Dean.

It's crazy to think that she was considering throwing that away just at the possibility of being back together with Dean again.

She could hear the sounds signaling the rest of the apartment coming to life and lounged around a little longer in bed than she usually would. She was the last one up, for once. Smiling to herself when she heard Wren's high-pitched giggles as she and Dean started up a game of 'Hide and Seek', Lynnie sighed and pulled herself out of bed. She washed up, pulling her hair into a messy braid and washing her face clean before slapping on some foundation and lip gloss. Once she didn't look too barefaced and tired, she stepped out of the bathroom and made her way to the kitchen.

Sunday mornings were usually spent in their pajamas. Dean and Sam weren't typically the pajama-wearing kind of people, but the past few Sundays they'd spent at the apartment, they'd joined in the Halliwell tradition by showing up in their sleep clothes. Mind flashing back to her vivid dream from earlier, a memory of the events leading up to their engagement a few years ago, Lynnie avoided looking at Dean in his trackpants and white wifebeater, Wren perched on his hip as she messed up his hair, fashioning it to her own style.

God help her, he looks so damn good.

"Hey, there you are," Parker greeted her brightly. "I made coffee and Pop-tarts."

"Your specialty," Lynnie teased. It was no secret that Parker was the most useless one in the kitchen in the entire family. Parker stuck her tongue out at Lynnie as she handed her a fresh mug of hot coffee. "Thanks, hon."

"Mommy, can we have a Harry Potter movie day?" Wren asked, cuddling up to Dean once she deemed his hair good enough. She laid her head in the crook of his neck and played with the cord strap of his pendant.

Lynnie grinned at her. "You really wanna watch Goblet of Fire again, huh?" she guessed correctly.

Wren nodded, beaming. "But we have to watch the first three first," she said quickly.

"Of course," Lynnie said immediately. "We can't just skip them willy-nilly. How would we know what happened?"

Already familiar with the Potter marathons Wren was so fond of, Parker promised, "I'll call for pizza."

"And I'll get the pie," Lynnie added, stepping forward and pressing a kiss to her baby girl's cheek. She'd wanted a good morning kiss from her daughter but had taken no note of Dean's proximity until she was standing right there, inches away from him. She could smell his aftershave. Her mouth was watering. Dammit.

His eyes were so green, and they bore into her with intoxicating intensity. "Love me some pie," he murmured, voice rough and deep the way it always got in the mornings, sending shivers down her spine. His lips curved into an enticing smile. It was all making her very dizzy.

Parker shared an amused look with Sam, rolling her eyes at the other two making googly eyes at each other despite the child literally wedged between them. She cleared her throat loudly, breaking the love connection.

Lynnie jumped, heart racing, at the sound. She'd honestly forgotten about Parker and Sam's presence. Good grief, Dean could still turn her mind into mush and her bones to jelly.

"Pizza, pie and Potter," she tweaked Wren on the nose and stepped back, avoiding Dean's gaze once more. "Sounds great."

"Well, I'm in," Dean jumped in. He'd only been in Wren's life for a couple of weeks, but he'd already read through the six books twice, thanks to Wren obsessively wanting them read before bed, and seen the first three movies twice each. He'd endure them all again for Wren's sake.

Lynnie shot him a small smile.

"Me, too," Parker chimed in. Raising an eyebrow at Sam, she asked, "What about you, Sammy?"

Sam huffed out a laugh. As fun as it was seeing his brother and the only girl he'd ever loved dance painfully around each other, he'd have to pass. He had so much research to do. "I can't," he said apologetically, waving at his laptop. "I've got a lot to do…"

Parker rolled her eyes at him. Stepping up to where he was seated at the breakfast nook, she reached out and gently closed the laptop. "Sam, you've been working non-stop almost the entire time you've been here," she said. It was true, too. If he wasn't working on his visions, he was trying to find John or the Demon. It was exhausting just looking at him – which was a damn shame because she liked looking at him. "You've been at it since five in the morning today. It's Sunday. Watch movies and pig out with your niece. You can work later."

Sighing but smiling at Parker's no-nonsense look, he nodded in defeat. "Yeah, okay," he agreed, giving Wren a genuine grin. "Sounds like fun."

The doorbell rang and Lynnie answered it, stomach turning in knots as she came face to face with Logan. He looked as nervous as she felt.

"Hi," he greeted her.

"Hi," she clutched at her coffee mug, hoping the warmth would seep through her suddenly chilled bones.

Clearing his throat after a too-long silence, he held up a pastry box. "I brought donuts and bear claws," he smiled shyly. "As an apology."

Lynnie smiled slightly, stepping aside to let him in. "You didn't have to do that," she said slowly, guilt wearing her down. "Not when you were right and I was wrong."

He held up his free hand. "No, listen, I need to say something," he said, interrupting her. She fell silent, waiting for him to continue. "I like to think of myself as a good guy – and a secure guy. So, I'm gonna chalk up my behavior last night to shock…and maybe jetlag, if you'll let me have a pass."

He looked absolutely mortified as he spoke.

"I'm not the guy who stands in the way of a father and daughter getting to know each other because of jealousy," he shook his head. "And I don't distrust the people I'm in a relationship with, either. I like to think that I've matured beyond that high school drama crap. So…I'm sorry. You were right. He should stay here and get to know Wren."

Some of the pressure in her chest dissipated. Good Lord, he was such a nice guy. She didn't deserve him, and she hoped that all of the turmoil she was feeling thanks to Dean being around would disappear soon. She wanted nothing more than to just be the girl who managed to find herself a nice, sweet, kind guy who understands who she is and gives her the space to be who she needed to be.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. "But you were right, too. I got too turned around by Dean showing up that I just…I pushed you to the side. You didn't deserve that. I should have told you. I'm sorry."

He smiled. "Thanks for saying that," he leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek. "Is Wren bugging you about Goblet of Fire?" he asked knowingly, changing the subject.

She laughed. "We're planning a Potter marathon, actually," she informed him. Eyeing him speculatively, she bit her lip before blurting out, "Do you want to join us?"

He seemed slightly surprised at her invitation. "Really?" he asked, pleased.

She shrugged. "If you want…Dean will be there," she warned.

He pursed his lips. "He's gonna be a big part of her life, right?" he asked. At her nod, he said, "Well, I plan on being a big part of _your_ life, so I guess he and I will cross paths quite a bit. So…Yeah, I'd love to stay for the Potter marathon."

Smiling, she led him to the kitchen. "Guys, look who's here," she announced, ignoring Parker's pointed gaze and Dean's suddenly sour expression as Logan greeted everyone.

"I brought breakfast," Logan placed the pastry box on the kitchen island. Turning to look at Wren, he smiled at her. "I got a special treat for you, Wren…Peppermint hot chocolate!"

Wren's eyes lit up as he held up the small coffee cup from the bakery filled with chocolatey goodness. Peppermint hot chocolate was her favorite thing ever during the winter months. It was the end of January and, soon enough, she'd have to wait a whole year before she got to have it again.

"Yay!" she cheered.

Lynnie stepped forward, taking the cup from Logan so she could pour it out into Wren's special cup. "What do you say, honey?" she prompted her daughter.

Wren turned a shy smile in Logan's direction. "Thank you, Logan," she beamed at him, excited for what seemed to be a really fun day at home with some of her favorite people in the world.

"You're welcome, sweetheart," he grinned. She was such a sweet kid. He loved doing these little things for her.

Meeting Dean's gaze, Logan swallowed his pride and jealousy and held out his hand for a shake. "Good to see you again," he lied. "Sorry that I'm barging in…I hear we're having a Potter marathon?"

Dean shot a look at Lynnie, who could've been the only culprit. "Did you now?" he raised his eyebrows.

"Be nice," Lynnie muttered to him quietly as she passed Wren her special Wonder Woman cup filled with mint chocolatey goodness.

Begrudgingly, Dean took Logan's hand and shook it. "Hope you like pizza and pie," he said gruffly.

****************************************************************************

To the Charmed comics purists out there, I'm really sorry but I switched Phoebe and Coop's daughters' ages. Parker was always the middle kid. But the first child was supposed to be PJ and the third and last daughter was supposed to be Peyton. Instead, I've made it so that Peyton was the first child born to Phoebe and Coop, in 1979. Parker's next in 1981 and PJ in 1983. There's a reason for that.

So – casting. I've said before that Lynnie is played by Danneel Ackles and Parker by Genevieve Padalecki (for references to what they look like, and just in case I ever post the Real Person Fanfiction of The Winchester Charm, which is sort of like a Behind-The-Scenes of what happens throughout the cast's lives as they film SPN. I've actually planned out this RPF from start to finish, I just haven't started writing it down beyond timelines and chapters).

Now, to let you know the casting for Peyton and PJ. Peyton is played by Hilarie Burton (JDM's real-life wife) and PJ is played by Sophia Bush (I thought she played party-girl-turned-powerful-female-business-owner really well in OTH). It just seemed like fun to have Danneel Ackles' co-stars from OTH to play the parts of her sisters here. Also, fun to have Hilarie Burton as yet another Peyton. There's a reason for the switch in birthdates for Peyton and PJ, and this is not it.

Title of the chapter comes from the Rosie Thomas song of the same name. I know it's not a classic rock song. TWC chapters actually play out in my mind as though they're scenes that are part of the show. To me, the San Francisco/Charmed scenes don't have such a classic rock soundtrack to them. The SPN/hunter/on-the-road scenes do but the SF/Charmed scenes have a more indie/pop/alternative/folk soundtrack.

Please leave a review to let me know what you think of this chapter. I would really love to hear some feedback.

Thank you so much for reading and staying with me despite the delay.


	6. In My Life

**Chapter 6: In My Life**

**A/N:** I got a little inspired by 15x07. I wanted a peek into what Lee's relationship with Dean was when he was still a good guy. Also…how different would it be in TWC since Lynnie is in the picture?

P.S. Title of the chapter comes from the song of the same name, by the Beatles.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything Supernatural or Charmed-related. Except for SPN-themed pajama pants from the Hot Topical. I love them. I'm just playing in the two sandboxes and occasionally mixing them up for no monetary gain whatsoever.

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** _July 1997_ **   
** _San Francisco_ **

"Mom, stop panicking," Lynnie rolled her eyes.

Piper glared down at her youngest, hands on her hips. "I'm not panicking. I'm worrying. As your mother. I'll worry if I wanna worry," she snapped back. Her gaze drifted towards the Impala, eyes taking in the duffel and backpack Dean was lugging into the trunk, on top of the fake bottom where all the weapons were hidden in. "Are you sure you've got enough?"

"Mom, we're only going to be gone for two weeks," Lynnie reached for her mother and pulled her in for a hug. "If we need anything, we can just stop somewhere. Or, you know…Orb back here."

"Fine, but promise me you're going to actually pay and not use one of his fake credit cards," Piper rubbed Lynnie's back.

Lynnie pulled back, giving her mother a sheepish look. "You know about that?" she asked warily.

Piper raised an eyebrow, giving her daughter a narrow-eyed look and a sly grin. "Again, I'm your mother. I know everything," Piper threatened cheerfully.

"Okay, we are all set to go," Dean shut the trunk and walked over to the two women. "You all set here?"

"Yep!" Lynnie said brightly, stepping close to Dean and wrapping her arms around his lean middle. "I can't wait to do this!"

He grinned at her. "It's not that big a deal," he warned her. "Road tripping isn't as glamorous as it sounds."

"Sure, not for you," she retorted. "You've been on the road practically your whole life. I've never been on a road trip."

"What? Sure you have," he protested. "Your folks took us all on that trip to Yellowstone when we were ten."

She shrugged. "That was a long time ago," she waved it off. "It doesn't count."

"I'll be sure to let your father know that," Piper cupped her daughter's cheeks lovingly. "It'll make him feel really good."

Dean peeked down the street, brows furrowing. "When the hell is Sammy gonna be back?" he muttered, irritated. "He knows we're leaving, right?"

Lynnie gave him a look. "Give him some time," she soothed. "You know how he gets at the library."

"What kind of a dork goes to the library first thing in the morning?" Dean muttered, shaking his head. "During the summer!"

"He's excited about school!" Piper defended the younger Winchester. "Don't be too hard on him…Speaking of which, I got in touch with your dad last night."

Dean looked at her warily. "Yeah?" he prompted.

Piper reached out and rubbed his arm in comfort. "Don't worry, I handled your dad," she laughed. "He's got nothing on me."

Dean grinned slightly. She did have balls of steel. "So…He said…?" he raised his eyebrows.

"He said yes," Piper confirmed, a fond smile on her lips. "Leo and I will enroll you and Sam at Truman High. Shouldn't be hard – you've been at that school last year with Lynnie. I'll talk to the principal and get you all sorted out."

Dean stared at her. "Really?" he asked, shocked. "And…Did he say how long we'll get to stay at the school?"

Piper frowned, a little listless. "I'll work on that, don't you worry about it," she seemed a little angry as she said this. Dean nodded, looking away. He'd figured as much. "Hey. I mean it. Don't. Worry," Piper emphasized, eyes wide as she drove her point home. As far as she was concerned, the only reason Dean had flunked out of senior year was because John kept disrupting his education, pulling the boys from one school to another without a care in the world. She'll be damned if she didn't fight for both of those boys to get at least a high school diploma. When it came down to it, though, she knew that Sam was meant for more than hunting – he was such a smart boy. She'd fight for him to go to college, too, when it was time.

Anything Dean might have said to deflect from what Lynnie knew he'd call a chick flick moment was forgotten as a red and blue bicycle sped towards them.

"Dean!" Sam shouted as he rode as fast as he could towards them. He'd only intended to drop off the books he'd borrowed a few weeks earlier but had gotten distracted at the library and lost track of time. Dean was probably going to kill him for delaying him and Lynnie getting on the road. "Dean! Wait up!"

Dean scowled at his brother as the boy finally reached the Halliwell manor. Carelessly, Sam got off his bike, a birthday present from Paige and Henry last year, and chucked it to the side on the front lawn.

"Hey! Hey! Watch it!" Piper scolded him. "And where is your helmet, young man?"

Sam shot her a sheepish look. "Sorry. I forgot to wear it when I left the house," he shrugged awkwardly, all gangly limbs and skinny shoulders.

"Dude, you're late," Dean berated him. "We're just about to leave."

"I know, I know," Sam stepped forward and hugged Lynnie, getting a manly half-hug-pat-on-the-back from Dean. "Sorry. Have fun on your trip."

Lynnie grinned at him. "Thanks, buddy," she ruffled his hair, getting an annoyed look as he shook his shaggy hair out.

"Look, we're only gonna be gone two weeks," Dean told his little brother. "You need anything, you call for Lynnie. I'll be there in a second. Okay?"

Sam rolled his eyes. There Dean went again, being all overprotective big brother.

"Okay?" Dean repeated, annoyed.

Sam sighed. "Okay," he relented.

"Listen to Aunt Piper and Uncle Leo. Don't do anything stupid. Demons attack, you duck out of the way. Or at least get a good weapon in your hand. Got it?" Dean reiterated.

Sam glared at Dean. "Dude, I'm not a little kid. I know, okay!?"

Lynnie touched Dean's wrist, reeling him in before he snapped back at Sam. The last thing she wanted was for the brothers to get into a stupid fight before they left. It would ruin Dean's mood for the entire trip.

Dean took in a deep breath, calming down at Lynnie's touch, and nodded. "Yeah, okay," he said gruffly. "I guess we should hit the road, then."

Lynnie hugged her mom and Sam one last time and smiled as Dean held open the passenger's side door for her. She waved at the two as Dean drove away from the red and white house she loved so much, Highway to Hell playing on Baby's radio.

She smiled, eyes closing, as she felt the cool summer breeze caressing her skin through the open windows.

"No stop signs, speed limit…Nobody's gonna slow me down…"

Lynnie grinned, feeling tingles all over as Dean's whiskey-warm voice washed over her as he sang along to the song. He was oddly shy about singing in front of anyone, never even playing his guitar around Sam. He'd always let her hear him, though, which was a damn honor. He had the voice of a friggin' country rock God. In another life, other circumstances, he should've been taking a road trip to Nashville to get a record deal.

"So, where did Lee say he's gonna meet us?" Lynnie asked as the song came to a close.

Dean grinned, thinking of his wild friend. "Well, he's finishing up a job in Texas so he'll meet us in New Mexico in a couple of days," he said, already gleeful at the thought of the crazy time they'd all have together. Lee sort of brought it out in both of them. Last time they'd met up with Lee, they'd all had some fun with these _really_ hot triplets…

Lynnie, thinking along the same lines, grinned deviously, reaching towards Dean and kissing him hard for a long second. "God, it's been forever since we saw Lee," she sighed. "Wonder how he's doing…"

"Ah, he's fine," Dean waved away her concern. "He's a hunter, a soldier. He was born for the road."

Lynnie rolled her eyes slightly. Dean was always far too thrilled about his destiny as a hunter. Frankly, she thought that was the very first thing that bonded him with Lee. They both didn't see any other life outside of hunting – didn't even want to contemplate it.

Choosing not to think of these things at the start of their road trip, Lynnie opened up Baby's glove compartment. "Where's your map?" she asked, rooting around the twelve different cell phones they had in there.

"Map?" Dean scoffed. "The hell do we need a map for!?"

Lynnie shot him a look. "So we don't get lost?" she answered sarcastically.

Dean looked affronted. "You think I'd get lost?" he rolled his eyes. "A little faith, please. I did grow up on the road. I know my way around."

He was as good as promised, not getting lost once, maneuvering the roads like he'd memorized every shortcut in America.

They made it to San Diego by nightfall, despite Lynnie's insistence to do the touristy thing here and there, even stopping for a shopping spree at Rodeo Drive (if Dean insisted on splurging on her using a credit card bearing the name Wilson Niles, who was she to turn that down?). Dean pulled up to a motel Dad had taken him and Sammy to years ago when he'd worked a banshee job in San Diego. He remembered the rooms being cleaner than most motels they'd been to previously.

He killed the engine, looking over at Lynnie and smiling at her, knocked out and snoring lightly as she slumped over in her seat, head lolling against the window. Reaching out, he took her hand, twining his fingers with hers and bringing up their hands to press a kiss to the back of her knuckles. She barely moved, murmuring slightly in her sleep.

He locked the car and made his way inside the motel. One eye out the large windows to keep watch over Lynnie, he booked a room for them using a fake ID and a fake credit card.

"There ya go, Mr. Brice," the motel check-in clerk handed him back his card and the key to their room for the night. "Have a good night."

"Thanks," Dean headed back out, rapping on the window of the passenger's side. Lynnie jolted awake, squinting out at him blearily. "Come on, we're stopping for the night," he jerked his head to the side.

Lynnie stepped out of the car, yawning and stretching her arms above her head. His eyes were drawn to the sliver of skin that he could see when her shirt rode up.

"Urgh, I don't know how you guys do this every single day," she complained to him as she stretched. "I'm so tired."

"Well, we didn't drive around playing tourist," he retorted. "We only really stop for food, bathroom breaks and sleep…Sometimes."

She frowned at him, thinking that was sad. If he had to drag his kids all over God's country for their entire childhoods, the least John could have done was give them some time to be kids, exploring fun places once in a while.

"Well, you know, we could stop somewhere you want to tomorrow," she pointed out to him as he lugged their bags and closed the trunk, leading her towards their room.

He grinned. "I'm fine doing whatever you want as long as you put on some of that lacey stuff you bought just now," he wagged his eyebrows at her, thinking fondly of her shopping trip in LA. Lynnie laughed, slapping his arm playfully.

Dean wasn't kidding when he said that he didn't mind doing whatever Lynnie wanted. He knew she thought that he was deprived of some sort of life experience by not doing the touristy thing on his never-ending road trip with Dad and Sammy. Honestly, none of that ever bothered him. Dad had taken him and Sam to a few places to have fun before – the Grand Canyon, for one. They saw an Elvis shaped sandwich. Once, he even took them to Graceland. He was more than fine with his life on the road with his family. He wasn't deprived.

But he wouldn't be lying if he said that he wasn't loving the little trips he'd been taking with Lynnie. They'd been orbing off on their own these past couple of years, whenever they could. It was only last year that they'd really asked for permission from her parents. He'd been shocked out of his mind when they'd allowed it.

Their first parental-approved trip together had been during spring break of her junior year of high school. They'd gone to New Orleans with a couple of Lynnie's friends from school. The people had been wild, the food had been amazing, they'd met up with an actual hoodoo priestess and even managed to squeeze in a ghostly salt-and-burn. It had been amazing, especially since their last night in New Orleans had involved them getting so damn drunk off their asses that they somehow found themselves caught up in a pretty wild orgy-type-situation. He'd thanked the Big Man Upstairs (if He existed at all) for getting him together with a girl who didn't mind being in an orgy. He'd worried the next morning that sobriety would make her regret it and get angry at him for being so enthusiastic about it all.

All she'd said as she downed a Bloody Mary as a cure for her hangover was, "As long as I'm there, too, I'm cool with it. But if you're hooking up with anybody, singular or plural, without me, I'll be stringing you up by your balls, Dean Winchester. And I'd make it hurt, too."

He was one lucky sonuvabitch. He knew that wholeheartedly.

Not all of their trips alone without the rest of her family present had been about sex with other people, of course. He'd taken her on a three-day trip to New York in December last year because she'd always wanted to see the city during Christmastime. They'd gone off on a few other retreats in between to spend some time alone together – it wasn't easy to have that when she had such a big family and his small family lived in such tight quarters most of the time.

Whenever they met up with Lee, however, it was pretty much a guarantee that Dean and Lynnie would be in for a wild ride. The triplets last time had proved that.

He paused, key slotted in the door to their room for the night. He sincerely hoped she wouldn't change her mind about their 'experiments' with other girls until at least her college graduation.

"What's the hold up, Winchester?" Lynnie asked from behind him, stifling a yawn and effectively shaking him out of his thoughts.

Dean unlocked their door and tossed their bags through. Turning, he surprised her by yanking her up into his arms. She shrieked at the sudden movement and giggled loudly as he dramatically carried her bridal style past the threshold.

"Our humble abode," he announced in an over-the-top voice. Lynnie reached over his shoulder to turn on the lights, revealing the seventies' themed room, down to disco ball light and psychedelic deco. "Ooh. Humble's being generous."

She grinned as he put her down on her feet. "I think it's great," she pacified. At his incredulous look, she laughed. "Okay, I think it's doable. I'm gonna wash up. Could you, you know…Do the check?"

Rolling his eyes, he nodded, setting about to check if there were any bugs in the room while she rooted through her bags for her things. Demons she could handle like a seasoned pro. Bugs creeped her out. He shook his head, a fond smile coming to his lips unwittingly.

He checked for bugs, salted up the door and windows, put his gun in the nightstand and his Bowie knife under the pillow. He straightened up, eyes sweeping across the room for one last check. Everything looked in order, so he started to let his guard down just a little. His ears perked as he caught the sound of running water. Smirking slyly, he rushed towards the bathroom, shedding his clothes at record speed. He quietly turned the doorknob, slipping inside. Lynnie had a tendency to take showers with water so hot it almost burned. Steam hit him the moment he entered, smelling of her cherry body wash. He could see her blurry form through the slightly transparent shower curtain. Her head was tilted back and her hands were running through her hair. She was a vision.

She was completely unaware of his presence so when he pulled the curtain back, she let out a little squeal of surprise. He grinned, eyes roving over her and salivating a little.

"Dean!" Lynnie scolded, one hand coming up to her heart in a futile attempt to slow it down. "Geez! You just gave me a heart attack! What the hell?"

"Sorry," he ducked under the spray, hands immediately running down her water slicked skin. "Couldn't help myself."

She rolled her eyes, unable to stop the spread of a smile as he nuzzled into her neck. He was so solid and he smelled so good. His fingertips left sparks wherever they touched. She hummed in pleasure as he kneaded her back, sliding her fingers through his soft hair and pulling his face up so she could kiss him.

He could feel her trembling against him. He grasped her by the waist, his fingers almost overlapping, and lifted her, pressing her up against the wall. Her legs came up to wrap around his waist, pulling him even closer. God, he drove her crazy. They've been together like this a million times now and every single time still made her feel like it was the first time.

They came together, crashing like waves. She lost herself in the moment, gasping into Dean's mouth as he kissed her the entire time they came down from their high. He watched her as she caught her breath, her lashes fluttering against her pinked cheeks. She was so beautiful. He leaned in, capturing her lower lip between his teeth, sucking it into his mouth. She deepened the kiss, melting into him once again. He felt her shiver and knew that, this time, it was because she was getting chilly.

He reached for her body wash and soaped them both up, chuckling when she began nibbling at his jaw, hands reaching down to grasp him cheekily.

He jolted, a little surprised. "Whoa," he chuckled against her lips, moving quicker to rinse the soap off of both of them.

She giggled when he picked her up in his arms, urging her thighs around his waist so he could carry her out of the shower. He yanked her towel off the rack, wrapping her loosely in it as he carried her out of the bathroom.

"Eager much?" she teased as he dropped her on the bed, climbing on top of her.

"Maybe even more than you," he grinned, settling in between her legs and leaning his full weight on top of her.

Lynnie reached up, nimble fingers sliding into Dean's hair. He closed his eyes against the massage she was giving his scalp – she had magic fingers, that was for Goddamn sure. He leaned down to kiss her again, leaving no space between them. God, he could kiss her forever.

They caught up with Lee at a bar in Rio Rancho called McClane's Brewhouse. It was a full house, but Lee had gotten them a table, chatting away happily to a pretty girl waitress, beer in his hand and an outrageous story on his tongue.

"Is this the story about how you almost got arrested at the Mexican border?" Lynnie asked as they approached the table.

"First or second time?" Dean chimed in, stepping up next to her and grinning charmingly at the waitress Lee had been chatting up.

"From the sounds of it – second," Lynnie tilted her head to the side, a sly smile playing on her lips.

"Ooh," Dean winced, sharing a playful look with his girl. "Sorry to have interrupted, then. That was a hell of a story."

"Well, you should know," Lee shot back. "You were there."

Lee stood from his chair, greeting Dean with their usual hand clasp. Lynnie rolled her eyes fondly as she caught their ear-to-ear grins. She knew Dean had missed Lee being around. It was nice to see that Lee missed Dean, too. She accepted the kiss he bestowed to her cheek.

Lee gave the waitress a charming smile. "Could we get three more beers, sweetheart?" he asked, and she nodded, a flirtatious sway of her hips as she left.

"Sorry we're late," Lynnie shrugged out of her jacket and shook out her hair. "We got a little caught up."

They'd actually made it to Rio Rancho with enough time to check into their motel and freshen up, but Dean had convinced her to stop by a vintage auto museum fifteen minutes away from the bar where he'd gotten just a tad caught up. She hadn't minded it one bit. He had looked so carefree and happy. She would have given anything to see him that way for a minute longer.

Lee shrugged. "Ain't a thing," he assured her. "Lola was keeping me busy."

"Lola, huh?" Lynnie laughed, shaking her head.

"She's a firecracker, that one," Lee shook his head, a mischievous grin on his lips as he took another swig of his beer.

"Yeah, I'll just bet," Dean chuckled, climbing onto his stool and drawing Lynnie between his legs so she could rest with her back against his chest. She smiled up at him as she leaned up to press a kiss to his jaw.

"Aww, look at you two," Lee joked, grinning. "Sweet as apple pie."

Dean shot him a glare. "You gonna get all chick flick on us all of a sudden?" he growled out. "cuz I'm as far from sweet as anything. You wanna go, Webb? Let's go. I'll hunt anything. Better than you."

Lynnie and Lee shared a look, simultaneously breaking out in, "Aww…"

Dean rolled his eyes, shaking his head skyward. "Son of a bitch," he cursed.

"Alright, alright," Lynnie patted his arm consolingly, smiling at Lola as she returned with three more beers. "Are you two gonna be cute all night or are we gonna get drunk off our asses?"

Lee clinked his bottle with Lynnie's, then Dean's, a look shared between the two men that conveyed just how lucky Lee thought Dean was and just how aware Dean was that he was the luckiest son of a bitch in the world.

As things always happened with Lee around, things got a little out of hand. The three of them moved from beers to shots and, somehow, the night ended with them taking a little drunken road trip to Roswell. Lynnie blacked out a little after getting matching alien hats with Dean and Lee.

She woke up bleary and cotton-mouthed, tangled up in Dean's arms and scratchy motel room bedsheet. Feeling the strongest urge to pee, she tried to wriggle out of the starfish-death-grip Dean had on her as he laid splayed out on top of her. He refused to budge, snoring into her ear and tightening his arms and legs around her body. She smiled, gazing at him with soft eyes as she took in that morning stubble and disheveled hair. She struggled to lift her arm from underneath his, running her hand through his soft, sweat-dampened hair. She fought the urge to giggle when he snuggled closer, his beard growth tickling the sensitive skin of her neck.

Reaching down, she poked a particularly sensitive spot in his side, and he squirmed, flopping around on top of her and shifting just enough for her to slip out from his grasp. She gripped the sheet, pulling it with her as she climbed out of bed. She wrapped the sheet around herself, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Her foot caught on something and she tripped, yelping, hitting the ground.

Dean shot up from the bed, wide-eyed and pointing his gun around the room, looking for the source of danger.

Next to her on the floor, Lee had sat up just as quickly as Dean, bare ass in full view of Dean's eyesight.

"Whoa!" he turned his head away, eyes immediately slamming shut at the sight of another naked dude. His groggy mind caught up to what exactly he was seeing – Lee, as naked as the day he was born, splayed out on the floor of the motel room, and Lynnie, wrapped in a bedsheet, looking confused as hell. "Dude, cover up!"

Lee looked down at himself and started, looking around and finding his jeans just within arm's reach next to the dresser. "Well, right back atcha, man," he complained.

Dean's eyebrows rose as he, too, took in his state of undress. He reached for the closest pillow to cover up. The three of them shared narrow-eyed looks of confusion and suspicion.

"What…The hell happened last night?" Lee asked finally, bringing his hand up to rub across his face. His entire body felt sore and out of whack.

"Don't know, but _you_ got some," Dean chuckled, pointing to Lee's back.

Lee peered over his shoulder and his eyes widened at the long scratch marks down his back. He whistled, a slow smile spreading across his lips. "Damn, baby," he said victoriously. "Guess I hooked up with a wildcat last night."

"Guess you did," Dean reached over and pounded his fist against Lee's in a moment of brotherly bonding. They reached the same conclusion about their nakedness and their unwillingness to touch each other, and immediately pulled back, unable to look each other in the eye.

Lynnie, ignoring them both, closed her eyes as flashes of last night started to come back to her. She pressed her fingers to her temple, trying hard not to move her head too much because that migraine was a _bitch_.

_"Ten more shots, barkeep! Line 'em up!"_

_"Purple nurples!"_

_"Who wants to drink tequila off my bellybutton?"_

_Lee leaning down and licking the salt off her wrist, slurping the tequila out of her navel and biting into the lime trapped between her lips as she laid down on the bar counter._

_Kissing Dean._

_Hugging Dean and Lee as they made their way out of the bar._

_"I love you guys!"_

_Kissing Dean whilst hugging both Dean and Lee._

_Kissing Lee._

_"Whoa."_

_"Whoa."_

_"One time offer…"_

_Stumbling into their motel room, Lee's mouth attached to her neck, Dean's hands wandering down her body, undoing the buttons of her jeans._

_Hands and lips and teeth and tongue…_

_"Strict rules – we touch the girl. We don't touch the other dude." "Duh, obviously. We're drunk, not gay."_

_"You boys gonna join me or just stand there like a couple of naked idiots?"_

"Oh, my God!" Lynnie gasped, her hand coming up to press against her lips. She stared in horror at Dean and Lee. They'd gone wild before but never with each other. Oh, God, they were gonna lose it. _Dean_ was gonna lose it.

"What?" Dean and Lee asked in unison.

"You two really don't remember?" she asked, wincing as she stared at them. They were gonna hate it when they remembered.

"You do?" Dean asked, surprised.

"Yeah," she gritted her teeth. "We went to that alien themed bar…Got really drunk on something called purple nurples…? Ring any bells yet?"

When neither of them showed any signs of remembering, she added a little more detail, "We went out the bar together…Dean and I kissed…Then Lee and I…"

Dean and Lee reached the same conclusion at the same time.

"Oh, my God," Lee muttered, shooting an almost guilty look at Dean.

"Oh, my God," Dean echoed, looking more than a little stunned.

"Yeah," Lynnie deflated, dropping her head and pressing her hand against her closed eyes.

A few long moments of awkward silence descended upon the three of them before Lynnie decided enough was enough.

"Okay. Okay," she stood up, gripping the sheet tighter around herself. "I…Am gonna go shower. And when I'm done, I want you both dressed, I want a really big breakfast waiting for me and I want us to never talk about this ever again."

"Done," Lee agreed immediately.

Lynnie turned laser eyes towards her boyfriend. Shaking himself out of his stupor, he agreed belatedly, "Done."

"Good," she said breezily, grabbing her bag of toiletries from off the nightstand and stepping over Lee. She glared down at him when she caught him ogling her sheet-covered ass. He caught himself and looked away. Dean made to climb off the bed to join her and Lee pointedly looked away from the sight of his naked friend, rooting around the jumble of clothes on the floor to find what was his.

Lynnie held up a finger and pointed it at his chest, stopping him short. "Ah, ah," she shook her head. "Eggs sunny side-up, pancakes, bacon and the biggest caramel latte this side of the hemisphere. It better _all_ be waiting for me when I get back."

She closed the door behind her and locked it. Leaning against it, she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, exhaling slowly. She couldn't believe what she'd done the night before. It wasn't like she and Dean hadn't had the occasional threesomes, but it had never been with another hunter and it had never been with a friend. She didn't know if either of them remembered it being her idea, but _she_ did and it embarrassed the _hell_ out of her.

She took her time to brush her teeth and wash her face and took twice as long in the shower to wash up. The extra time did nothing to make her feel any less guilty or embarrassed and by the time she'd dried her hair with the hairdryer and applied her makeup, there was nothing left for her to do to stall going back out to face Dean and Lee.

Steeling herself, she gazed into her own reflection in the mirror above the sink. "You can do this, Halliwell," she said, giving herself a pep talk. "Don't be a wuss. You made your bed. Got two hunks into it. And slept with them both."

Losing her nerve, she shook her head, covering her face with her hands. "Oh, my God, I'm such a slut right now," she muttered bitterly.

A knock on the door startled her. "Yeah?"

"Breakfast's here," Dean called through the door.

"Be right out!"

Taking a few calming breaths, she grabbed her things from the counter, kicked the bedsheet to the side and opened the door. Dean was looking at her with puppy dog eyes, leaning against the wall right outside the bathroom door. He held up a big takeaway cup of what she could smell was delicious coffee goodness.

"Peace offering," he grinned charmingly. "I also got you a blueberry muffin for the road, for your mid-morning snack that you think no one knows about."

She gave him a look. Great. He was being sweet. Which meant he didn't remember. Double great.

"Thanks," she said stiffly, grabbing the coffee from him and trying to move past him.

"Hey," Dean grabbed her by the waist, pulling her back and pressing her against the wall, caging her in with his arms on either side of her. "You mad at me?"

"No," she admitted, focusing on the undone buttons of his Henley. "I'm…Embarrassed."

"Yeah?" he grasped her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. "Why?"

She tried to evade his gaze but he wouldn't let her. "You don't remember," she sniffled. "And…I'm really sorry. I'm really sorry about last night."

"'cuz you hog-tired us and forced us to do it?" he teased.

"I might as well have," she muttered guiltily. "Look, I…I'm the one who started it last night. I initiated it between you and me and…Between the three of us. And, oh, my God, I was so drunk, Dean, but that didn't give me any right. He was your friend and I…I'm just embarrassed and I…"

"Hey," he tried to interrupt her rambling.

She ignored him, continuing on, "And I'm sorry I was a bitch this morning but when I remembered, I just…I just couldn't…Be in the room anymore…And I thought some time to think, alone, would do me some good but it just didn't and-"

He leaned in, kissing her soundly. Her knees went a little weak as she melted into his kiss.

When he finally pulled away, he watched with a fond smile as she caught her breath, eyelash fluttering against her cheek. She looked at him with slightly dazed eyes. "What…Uh," she licked her lips, tasting him on her tongue. "What was that for?"

"I know," he told her.

She stared at him uncomprehendingly. "You know…What?" she asked, shaking her head.

He gave her a piercing look. "I know," he emphasized. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not exactly a lightweight. Three coffees and a little hair of the dog and everything about last night came rushing back."

She closed her eyes, dropping her head back against the wall with a dull thud. "Oh, God," she moaned.

"Yeah, you said a lot of that last night," he joked.

Her eyes snapped opened and she glared at him, outraged. "Okay, the single most humiliating thing that's ever happened to me and you're making jokes about it?" she asked in disbelief, shoving at his chest to get him to step back. "Thanks a lot."

"I'm making jokes cuz there's nothing for you to be embarrassed about," he told her, following after her as she went for her duffel, tossing her little bag of toiletries in it. "Look, I meant it. We got a little wild. It's what we do when Lee's around."

"Yeah, it is, but we never get wild with him," she sighed, dropping down on the messy bed. "Even when hot blonde triplets were involved, you and him were never naked in the same room together. And I…I've never…With a friend." She drew her knees up, wrapping her arms around them and dropping her forehead on top of her forearm.

"Okay, the guilt and judgement? That's coming just from you," he told her honestly. "'cuz, yeah, it was a little awkward just now but at the end of the day, both Lee and I agreed to what happened. And we're both okay with it."

She lifted her head to peek at him curiously. "You are?" she asked tentatively.

He shrugged. "Yeah," he told her, sitting next to her and bumping his shoulder with hers. "Look, this isn't our first rodeo. And, okay, this time it was with a friend. Who's a guy. And that's…Different," he tilted his head to the side as he admitted this. "But you and I always said…"

"We'd try anything once," they said in unison, sharing a smile.

He grinned, seeing that the last of her embarrassment had fled. "Besides, if anyone's got anything to be embarrassed about, it's Lee," he joked again – anything to get out of their chick flick moment. "I beat him by, like, five inches."

She shot him a look, laughing. "Uh-huh, and what measuring device did you use for this?" she asked, shaking her head.

"I peeked for like a second," he admitted. "Long enough to be appropriate for the guys' locker room – but not long enough for anything else."

"Well, I peeked for longer and that is just not true," she teased him back just as mercilessly.

He tackled her to the bed, ignoring her laughter. "How about I feed you breakfast in bed and we call it even?" he countered.

"Hmm, I might consider that," she acquiesced, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him on top of her. "But only if there's bacon."

"Are you kidding? There's always bacon," he nuzzled her nose, eyes locking before he swept her up in a mind-blowing kiss.

**************************************************************

They met up with Lee outside their room as Dean was loading up the Impala. He pulled up next to the beloved car with his own truck, killing the engine and climbing out, looking as cool as ever.

"Hey, guys," he greeted them, a sheepish little smile playing on his lips.

"Hey," Dean called back, barely sparing him a glance as he shifted some things around to make them all fit in the trunk. Lynnie picked up a month's worth of things in the span of a couple of days. Apparently, no one ever taught her about traveling light.

Lynnie, a little more self-conscious than Dean had been, blushed as she met Lee's eyes. Tucking her hands in the back pockets of her jeans. "Hey," she greeted him, her voice quiet.

"What…You gonna ice me out now?" he asked, hand over his heart as he pretended to be mortally wounded. "Thought we were friends, Halliwell."

"No, it's not that…" she trailed off, sliding her eyes sideways to see if Dean could step in and get her out of this perpetually awkward situation. She frowned when she noticed that he was solidly keeping his back to the both of them, hands moving restlessly over the things he'd already packed neatly. She'd kick his ass later for hanging her out to dry.

"Oh, I get it," Lee nodded, looking away. "You don't want us to bring up the fact that you've had a hard on for me since we met."

She glared at him. "What?" she snapped.

"I mean, you jumped pretty fast to have me last night," he pointed out.

"Wha- I had you _both_ last night!" she countered, blushing harder at her own words. "I mean…"

"Admit it, you love me," Lee teased. "You wanted me all along."

She rolled her eyes, stepping back as he crowded her personal space, poking her gently all over her stomach and arms to bother her.

"Come on…Admit it," he said in a sing-song voice. "You've always wanted me."

"Urgh, you're an asshole," she couldn't help the smile that broke out. Lee was an easy guy to have as a friend. He'd always made her smile. Batting his hands away, she fixed him with a steely glare. "Let's get one thing straight. You jumped faster to have me last night. I was just drunk,"

"We were all drunk," Lee countered.

"Well, maybe I got it wrong," she nodded. "Maybe, it's just that you two jumped at the chance to be with each other and I was just in the way…"

"Whoa!"

"Hey!"

She smirked as both Dean and Lee protested at the same time. Seeing that Dean had finally whirled around to face them, she raised her eyebrow at him. "Oh, so now you're a part of this conversation?" she teased.

"You're a riot and a half, Halliwell," Lee shook his head, stepping close to give her a hug. She allowed it, relaxing into his embrace as the last of her embarrassment melted away. "And a Goddamned wildcat. Those scratches hurt."

"Aww, you poor baby," she chuckled.

"Hey, hey," Dean called out in a jokingly stern voice. "Get your hands off my girl, Webb."

"Why don't you make me, Winchester?" Lee pulled away from her to put up his fists playfully.

Lynnie rolled her eyes. "Oh, my God, You guys are idiots," she sighed. She bumped intentionally into Lee as she walked past him to get to the car.

Dean and Lee watched as she slipped into the Impala, closing her eyes and leaning her head back against the headrest. They turned to each other, half-sheepish grins on their faces.

"So…Hit me up next time you're free," Dean said, closing the trunk and walking over to the closest friend he had, other than Lynnie.

"You, too, man," Lee said. They put up their fists in a mock fight, just as Lee had done before, and playfully hit each struck each other with their forearms, making mock fighting noises as they did so. "See you around, Dean."

They clasped each other's hands in their signature handshake before separating. Lee watched as Dean's climbed into the Impala, waving as that black beauty drove away. He sighed, heading back to his own truck and climbing in. Fun was over. Time for another job, another hunt, another day with monsters.

"You believe me now?" Dean asked as he put Lee in his rearview mirror.

"Well, I guess I have to now," Lynnie replied, keeping her eyes closed as she burrowed her head further into the headrest.

Dean grinned. He kept one hand on the steering wheel and reached out with the other to grasp her hand, bringing it up to his mouth to kiss her knuckles. She slept on for the next few hours, the toll of her exhausting discovery in the morning making her feel her hangover three times harder. They stopped by Portal in Arizona where he pulled into a small diner. She went to use the bathroom, having had the urge to pee for the last ten miles of backroads. He went into the diner, which doubled as a grocery store, and stocked up on snacks and bought them cheeseburgers and milkshakes.

When he slid back into the driver's seat, Lynnie was already in the car, talking on the phone.

"We're in Arizona now," Lynnie said, turning to give Dean a smile and reach for a milkshake. "A couple of days. Yeah, Dean just _loves_ taking the scenic route."

He made a face and leaned in to nibble at her neck to distract her while she said her goodbyes to Piper. She hung up and threw the cell phone back into the glove compartment, fighting him and his scratchy stubble. "Get off of me, you jerk!" she shoved him away, a smile on her lips.

"Piper getting worried?" he asked, pulling away reluctantly to carefully put aside his bag of cheeseburger and fries.

"She's getting irritated having to keep Chris from orbing into Baby's backseat," Lynnie rolled her eyes. "Goddamn older brothers."

Dean grinned. "Imagine he'd orbed in last night when you, me and Lee…"

Lynnie glared at him, shutting him up with a single look. "Finish that sentence and die, Winchester," she threatened.

"Scary," he teased.

"I'm starving and this smells awesome," she peered at him curiously. "Can I actually eat in the car or is the sacred rule still sacred?"

"What's sacred never changes," Dean warned, pointing a finger at her. "Keep your hunger in check. We're twenty minutes out."

"Twenty minutes out from where?"

"You'll see."

They ended up sprawled out on a large patch of grass, picnic blanket spread out underneath them, looking up at a perfectly unobstructed view of the sky. Lynnie sighed, smiling widely at the glittering blanket of stars above her.

"Dean, this is perfect," she murmured, turning her head sideways to look at her man. He wasn't looking at the sky at all, his gorgeous green eyes fixed solely on her. She smiled, loving the shy blush that crossed his cheeks. He could sweet talk like a pro but if he was caught off guard in a vulnerable moment, he was blushing it up like a virginal teenager. "What are you thinking about?" she asked, shifting closer to him.

Dean lifted his arm so that Lynnie could snuggle up to him, her head resting on his chest. "Nothing much," he lied. "I'm just…I'm glad we went on this trip."

She snorted. "Even with…?"

"Even with," he assured her. "Look, I can't pretend that I won't be able to look Lee in the eye again for the next five years until the image of him naked is burned out of my memory…" Lynnie laughed, the infectious sound spreading a smile across Dean's face. "But I had fun. We got to hang out, we drank up a storm with a buddy, we went sight-seeing…It's almost like we're just a normal couple, y'know?"

She shifted her head up to look at him, a soft smile on her lips. "Yeah, I know," she murmured. "I'm glad we went on this trip, too."

He wrapped his arms around her waist, yanking her up to rest above him. She let out a surprised squeal at the sudden movement but nestled into his embrace, loving the way his green eyes were fixed on her, all soft and happy. She smiled back at him, smitten as always. He cupped her cheek and brought her head down for a kiss and she fell into it, their kiss getting hot and heavy as their kisses always did.

She could feel his hands sliding lower, slipping underneath the leather jacket he'd draped over her shoulders right after they left the car. Hit suddenly with a boulder of affection for her man, she started to pull away from their kiss. He was a thoughtful guy when it came to the little things – like giving her his jacket because it was chilly out – but he didn't do romantic gestures all the time. It was all a little too 'chick flick' for him, but honestly, whenever he did do romance, he excelled at it.

Dean moaned a little at the loss of contact when she finally ended their kiss. Her heart thudded painfully against her chest as she looked at him laying below her, lips kissed a deep pink color, skin flushed, and hair mussed out of place. She trailed one hand from his shoulder up to his cheek, finger brushing against his warm cheek lovingly.

"Hey, thanks for this," she told him quietly, unable to stop smiling as those dark green eyes focused hazily on her. "I know you're not really a big fan of the whole romance thing but this has been amazing."

He shifted a little, looking a little less turned on and a little more uncomfortable now. "I don't think a threesome with another dude while we're all too drunk to know any better is romantic," he deflected.

"Speak for yourself," she joked lightly. "If it had been a threesome with one of my girlfriends, you'd be over the moon right now."

He cocked his head to the side, looking thoughtful. "Depends," he agreed, pensive. "Which friend?"

She scowled at him playfully and smacked him on the shoulder. He grinned, grabbing at the hand she'd hit him with and bringing it to his lips, kissing the back of it. Her heart melted again. _God, this is getting ridiculous, Halliwell_, she chastised herself. _It's been a long time since you were a thirteen-year-old girl. Stop getting all mushy._

"I didn't mean the threesome," she clarified, taking just a little bit of pleasure at his discomfort. "I meant this…Being under the stars…It's a perfect end to our trip."

He shrugged. "Well, I'm just keeping with our space theme," he joked, thinking about their ridiculous drunken burger run at some alien-themed restaurant in Roswell. "I can't really remember what led us there but I'm pretty sure Lee tried breaking into Area 51."

"Aww, honey…" she rubbed his chest soothingly. "That was you."

He narrowed his eyes at her barely contained smile. "Baby," he adopted an over-the-top cheesy tone, deepening his voice comically. "Have you ever had a close encounter of the pant-less kind?"

She stared at him a moment, a bubble of shocked laughter slipping out. "You're ridiculous," she chided him.

Dean moved swiftly, rolling her onto her back and resting his weight on top of her. She moved her legs apart slightly, allowing him to rest between them, and wrapped them around his waist. "Mind if my planet enters your solar system?" he smiled cheekily.

She rolled her eyes, her lips tugging upwards as she fought a losing battle not to smile. "That's bad," she told him laughingly.

"Yeah, but you love it," he conceded, hands slipping underneath her shirt, touching her soft skin, tracing up her sides.

"I love _you_," she countered, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck and pulling him down for a kiss. "I must be nuts."

"You're out of this world," he agreed.

She laughed, shaking her head slightly. "Shut up and kiss me," she ordered, smiling against his lips as he obeyed.

"Yes, ma'am," he murmured into their kiss.

********************************************************************

** _3rd February 2006_ **   
** _San Francisco_ **

_Pulling into the garage, killing off the engine._

_Michigan MF 6037._

_Garage door slowly closing. Car doors locking. Ignition turning on._

_The lock won't budge. The doors are shut in._

_Radio bursting to life._

_"Help! Somebody help me!"_

_Smoke, thick, black, enveloping around. Can't breathe. Can't breathe…_

Sam shot up, breathing erratic as he came out of his nightmare. Blinking hard against the painful, searing headache, he brought the heel of his palm to the side of his head. As sleep faded, the reality of his nightmare came rushing to him.

That wasn't a nightmare. It was a vision.

Kicking the comforter off of him, Sam climbed out of bed, stumbling slightly thanks to a head rush. Flipping on the light switch for the table lamp on the nightstand, Sam blinked against the sudden brightness before looking over at Dean's bed. He frowned, checking his watch. It was past midnight and Dean wasn't even in bed yet?

Fighting the urge to roll his eyes at his brother, Sam made his way out of the room and marched towards the living room, where he could hear Dean and Lynnie laughing quietly over something. Dean might be trying to accept the fact that Lynnie had a boyfriend, but he obviously wasn't doing too great at it.

"Dean!" Sam called out for his brother. The laughter stopped immediately, and Sam strode into the living room to find Dean and Lynnie sitting close together on the couch, nursing what looked to be their third bottle each, judging by the bottles scattered on the table. The room was glowing slightly, illuminated by soft lights at the corners of the room and nothing else. He was pretty sure there was jazz playing in the background. _Oh, brother,_ Sam couldn't help the eye roll this time.

"Dude, what are you doing up?" Dean raised his eyebrows, a big smile still plastered on his face. "I thought you go to sleep when it starts getting dark out, like a little old lady."

Sam frowned at him. "Okay, ten thirty is a reasonable time to go to bed," he paused, glaring when Dean snorted and shot a knowing look at Lynnie. "Look, man, we gotta go."

The severity of Sam's voice had Dean straightening up where he sat, smile gone. "What's happening?" he asked, immediately alert.

"We have to go," Sam insisted, giving Dean a look to communicate just how serious he was. "Right now."

"Okay…Why?" Lynnie chimed in, confused.

"Okay, single life sucks," Parker announced as she Beamed into the living room. She wore a tight, glittery red dress and a scowl on her lips. "I just had the worst date ever with the most gorgeous woman I've ever met. Like, Catherine Zeta Jones gorgeous. Incidentally, she also happens to be the biggest racist since Hitler."

Pulled away from Sam's sudden announcement, Lynnie frowned at Parker sympathetically. "Oh, honey…I'm sorry," she reached out to rub Parker's arm soothingly.

"Frankly, I've always been more of an Angelina Jolie man myself," Dean mused.

Sam glared at the three of them. "Dean," he snapped. "We're on a time crunch here. We gotta go."

The urgency in his voice snapped Dean out of his bubble.

Despite Sam's growing restlessness (and even despite the presence of Lynnie's new boyfriend), Dean had fallen back into a very comfortable routine. He loved being there with Wren and he loved reconnecting with Lynnie. Sometimes, when she looked at him, he swore he could still see that same love she once had for him reflected in her beautiful brown eyes.

And, yeah, he wanted to find his dad. He wanted to get the thing that had killed his mother and Sam's girlfriend and avenge them. But he also wanted to spend time with his kid. He wanted to bask in the life that was supposed to be his just for a little while longer because he knew it had to end at some point.

Sam's panicked expression and the tone of his voice told Dean that the end had come around.

"Sammy, what's wrong?" Dean asked, his spine stiffening and his voice getting gruff.

Lynnie's eyes snapped to Dean, taking in his rigid posture and intense concentration. She knew just where this led – after five years apart, she still knew him like the back of her hand. He was leaving. There was another monster to hunt, another life to save, another day to be the hero of. She stamped down her disappointment, remembering the feeling all too well whenever Dean had to leave to get back to life on the road, cutting their time together short until the next time she could be with him.

She would be strong and she would tell herself she could see him anytime – he was just an orb away. But she would hate not having him around. Despite the inter-state orbing, it was different than having him actually staying in San Francisco with her. It always felt like they were living separate lives when he was on the road, no matter how much she orbed to him.

Her heart broke for her little girl, who would have to learn to be as strong as she had been. It was just a fact of life when you loved a hunter.

Now that he'd gotten Dean's attention and gotten him moving, Sam strode back to the guest bedroom, darting around at the fastest speed he could muster to pack up his things.

"I had a dream," Sam announced, back to the others as he rushed to get his things together.

"A vision?" Parker asked, stepping closer. He could feel the concern almost radiating off of her, but Sam didn't turn around. He couldn't answer her questions – whether he knew it was a vision for sure, if he could get back to it, if he could see more of that same vision, if he could get back to it. It was like, whatever she tried to do to help him learn more, get better at his so-called 'gift', he just kept getting worse at it. There was something on the precipice, something just barely out of his reach, something that would get him focused enough to control this thing. But whatever it was, he sadly didn't know the answer or a way to find it.

"I think so," Sam answered vaguely. "We have to go and find out. There's this guy and he's gonna die. We have to get there. Right now."

"Whoa, whoa, hold up, big guy," Parker held up her hands. "What guy? What did you see?"

"Parker, there's no time for this," Sam snapped, regretting it instantly. "Look, I'm sorry. I just…This guy…He needs someone. He needs us. So can we do the psychic evaluation later?"

She smiled, taking his hand. She looked so kind, so full of empathy. He wanted to curl up on the couch, have her talk him through his latest vision, tell him it would be okay. But he knew that's not what was needed of him. That's not how he was ever going to help people. He had to do what Dean had always done their whole lives – be strong.

"Okay," she said placatingly. "Okay. So let's find the guy. Was there anything in your vision that will help us find him?"

Sam smiled slightly at her, appreciative of her understanding. Closing his eyes and thinking back to the vision burned into his mind, Sam drew out one very important detail.

"The license plate," he said excitedly, his eyes snapping wide open. "A Michigan plate."

"Did you get the number?" Parker asked, already reaching into her purse to pull out her phone. At Sam's nod, she scrolled through her contacts to find the one that could help her. When the person on the other end picked up the call, she smiled, greeting him sweetly, "Hey, Uncle Darryl. Sorry to bother you but I need a little help that's right up your alley. I would've called Uncle Henry but he and Aunt Paige are on their fourth honeymoon."

Dean stared, wide-eyed, as Parker rattled off the license plate number Sam whispered to her, getting an answer almost immediately in return.

"Hold up, this…This was probably just a nightmare," Dean whispered, eyes wide with panic as he stared beseechingly at his younger brother.

Sam sighed, shaking his head as he kept his eyes trained on Parker, "Yeah, tell me about it."

Dean squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. "No, I mean it," he insisted. "Y'know, a normal, everyday, naked-in-class nightmare. The license plate…It won't check out. You'll see."

"It felt different, Dean," Sam confessed, his voice hushed, afraid. "Real. Like when I dreamt about our old house. And Jessica."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Dean pointed out. "You're dreaming about _our_ house, _your_ girlfriend. This guy in your dream…You ever seen him before?"

"No," Sam admitted quietly.

"No, exactly!" Dean said. "Why would you have premonitions about some random dude in Michigan?"

"Parker and her sisters, her mom…They get visions about people they never met before all the time, Dean!" Sam rolled his eyes. "Maybe she's right. Maybe whatever we were trying to do to get me to control these visions…Made them stronger somehow. Maybe now I can see visions about other people."

Dean shook his head, hands on his hips as he turned away from his brother, refusing to believe him. Lynnie watched, feeling heartbroken for him. She knew he was scared for Sam, scared that he wouldn't be able to protect his little brother now that supernatural powers were in the picture. She knew he wanted nothing more than for Sam to get back to his apple pie normal life because he wanted everything good in life for his little brother. She knew he was terrified that Sam's powers didn't come from the same place of goodness that the Halliwells got their powers from. This was killing him – she didn't have to be an empath to know that.

"Really? Okay, thanks, Uncle Darryl. Could you just, uh…" Parker scrambled for the pen and paper on the nightstand between the single beds in the room. "Yeah. Saginaw, got it…Do you have an address on file? Uh-huh. Uh-huh…Thanks! See you guys for dinner on Sunday!"

Hanging up the call, Parker tore the first page of the notepad and stood to face Sam and Dean. Her lips twisting into a sympathetic pout, she held the paper out to Sam. "The owner of the car's Jim Miller," she informed them both, using her abilities to push out a little serenity everyone's way. "He lives in Saginaw, Michigan."

Sam nodded, already knowing that his vision had been real. He held up the piece of paper slightly, "Thanks, Parker."

Determined, Sam turned back to start packing, tucking the address into his shirt pocket. "We gotta get moving, Dean," he said.

"No!"

Sam stumbled a little at the gruff tone of disbelief. Straightening up, he swiveled around to give Dean a shocked glare. "No!? What do you mean 'no'?" he demanded. "Dean, someone's in trouble. Our kind of trouble. Since when do you refuse to hunt a monster?"

Dean huffed out a breath in exasperation. "I'm not refusing to hunt," he denied. "I'm just…I can't leave in the middle of the night, okay? I can't do that. Not to Wren."

Sam's furrowed brows smoothed out, empathy kicking him in the gut. "Look, Dean, I get it, I do," he placated. "But Wren's been thinking of you as a hero who's off saving the world from evil. She'll understand why you're gone."

"Did _you_?" Dean shot back. "Every time dad wasn't there? Every time you woke up and found out he'd left in the middle of the night without even saying goodbye? 'cuz I remember, Sam. You didn't."

"Dean," Sam sighed, shaking his head. He wanted to give Dean the luxury of a goodbye because his brother was right – he hadn't understood. He remembered, too, all the disappointments and broken hearts over a father he believed didn't want to be around him. He didn't want that for Dean, not when he knew just how amazing Dean was as a dad.

While John had barely been around except to teach him how to be a hunter, Dean had been there for Sam. Gone to stupid school plays and science fairs and cheered him on for every single thing he ever participated in. Dean was the one who gave him a beer at thirteen after his first heartbreak, took care of him when he was sick, sang him to sleep when he was scared. He'd seen that same guy, full of love and devotion, when he was around Wren, doing the same exact things, being the awesome dad he was apparently born to be.

"I'm sorry, Dean," he said quietly, looking at his big brother with sympathy swimming in his eyes. "I really am. But…We don't have time for this."

"What? For my kid?" Dean growled, anger bubbling to the surface. Panic and fear over Sam's weird vision thing and his utter reluctance to leave Wren and Lynnie was making him feel just a tad belligerent, ready to lash out and yell.

Parker, sensing that, pushed a little more serenity at him. He could feel his emotions twisting unnaturally, a synthetic sense of calm coming over him, and shot her a dirty look. She ignored it and wrapped a hand around Sam's wrist.

"Look, you're hours away from Michigan by car," she pointed out. "Even if you leave right this second and break every speed limit there is from here to there, you'll still be at least twenty hours away."

Sam's shoulders drooped, realization setting in. Parker was right – he couldn't save that man. He was too far away to be of any help.

Sensing him giving up, Parker gave Sam a cheeky look. "Really, Sam? You grew up around Whitelighters and Cupids, and you didn't even think about teleportation?"

Sam started to grin, hope breaking through.

Dean rubbed his hand over his mouth, heart sinking. "Okay," he said gruffly, turning around to look at his brother and Parker. "Okay, let's go."

"No, honey, stay here," Parker urged gently. "Look, I'll go with Sam. We'll check out Jim Miller, keep him safe. You just…Take your time. See Wren before you have to leave."

Dean felt the tension in his shoulders ease up a little. "You sure?" he asked Parker.

She nodded, holding onto Sam a little tighter. "Don't worry about it. We've got it covered," she assured him, Beaming herself and Sam out of the apartment, focusing on Jim Miller's address.

Dean stared at the space Sam and Parker had just been standing a moment ago. Taking in a shaky breath, he shook his head as he thought about the little girl sleeping three feet away.

"Dean…" Lynnie started, voice soft and sweet, understanding.

Dean turned to look at her, the expression on his face stopping her short. She knew that if she said anything to him now, he'd break. Stepping forward, Lynnie took hold of his hands, just holding them in hers.

Dean sniffed, turning away from her gaze. "Let me just…Uh…I need to go sit with Wren for a little bit," he said, feeling the strongest urge to hold his kid.

"Dean, she's sleeping," Lynnie pointed out.

"I won't wake her," he promised, moving to get past her.

"She's a light sleeper," Lynnie tugged on his hands, keeping him still. "Look, Parker will help Sam out in Michigan. Okay? They'll find Jim Miller."

"And then what?" Dean questioned. "I stay back while Parker takes over my job? Forever? I gotta leave at some point, Lynnie."

"I know," she nodded, stepping closer. "Wren will understand."

"People need to stop saying that," Dean ran a hand down his face, exhausted. "It doesn't make it right."

"No," she agreed. "But it is what it is, Dean." At his scoff and head shake, Lynnie stepped closer, gripping the lapels of his flannel. "It won't be like it was before. We're not hidden from each other. We'll orb back and forth. You'll be a part of her life, Dean. You won't miss out on any of it."

"You promise?" he asked, his voice small, uncertain. It broke her heart.

"I promise," she smiled reassuringly.

He nodded, heart seizing in his throat as he reminded himself to be strong. His dad might've been an ass for doing what he did to him and Lynnie, but he was also right in teaching Dean to be tough no matter what. He'd do it, for Wren's sake, and for his sake, too. He couldn't get weak on the job – it would get him killed, get Sam killed…It wouldn't help anyone. And Lynnie was right. He'd be a part of Wren's life. More so than John was a part of his and Sammy's. He'd make sure to take note of all her important events. He'd get Lynnie to orb him there for each one if he couldn't drive Baby there in time. He'll call her every chance he gets. He'll get her souvenirs from every Godforsaken town they visit to gank a monster. He'll know the names of her best friends and which class she likes the best and what her favorite food of the week was. He'll be a good dad. He will.

Dropping his forehead against Lynnie's, Dean held her close for a moment, closing his eyes and breathing her in. His pulse slowed, the panic fading to a mild thrum at the back of his mind. Slowly opening his eyes again, determined in his decision.

Pulling back, he pressed a kiss to Lynnie's cheek, squeezing her waist one more time before stepping away. "I'm gonna go see her," he said, tone gruff as he pushed down his emotions. "I won't wake her up, I promise. I just wanna see her."

What could she say to that? Nodding, Lynnie watched with a lump in her throat as Dean quietly walked over to Wren's bedroom, pushing the door open slowly and stepping inside. She meant what she'd said to him – she would make damn sure he wouldn't miss out on anymore of Wren's life. Both Dean and Wren deserved to be a part of each other's lives and she'd do whatever it took to make it happen.

Wren was sleeping on her belly, snoring into her pillow. Dean felt his lips tug upwards into a smile as he watched her. She'd had an exciting day – they'd gone to the park after school, where Dean had taught her how to play baseball the way Bobby had once taught him. They'd gone to a laser tag arena, which was probably the most fun thing Dean had done in the past five years. She'd polished off a burger and a half and an entire basket of fries (Lynnie had joked that she'd inherited his appetite, too). They'd gone to see a movie after – Nanny McPhee, which wasn't his first choice when a Kate Beckinsale movie was in theatres, but Lynnie had cocked a judgmental eyebrow at his suggestion.

Dean crouched down next to the bed and ran a gentle hand down the soft brown tresses of the snoring girl. One of her arms was flung across Miss Kitty, the cat sleeping just as soundly. At the feel of his hand on her head, Wren shifted in her sleep, drowsy eyes slowly blinking open.

"Daddy?" Wren mumbled. "What are you doing? It's sleep time."

"Oh, I'm sorry, sweetheart," Dean whispered, heart clenching when she smiled sleepily at him. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"Daddy, come here," Wren shifted, gently pushing Miss Kitty to the side. "Let's go to sleep."

Dean shook his head. "No, it's okay," he patted her back. "You go back to sleep, okay?"

"Daddy, you sound sad," Wren struggled to sit up amongst her five hundred fluffy pillows and soft toys. She was getting more and more awake, too, which Lynnie would kill him for.

"Hey, no, shh, shh," he gently pushed her back down. "I'm not sad, okay? I promise. I just wanted to say goodnight one more time."

Lynnie, knowing it was going to be a long, sleepless night, put on a pot of coffee and rifled through the leftovers in the fridge, taking out what was left of the brownie cake she'd baked for dinner yesterday. She had no idea how long Parker and Sam would take in Michigan – if Jim Miller was still alive, they would probably stay longer, waiting until Dean and Baby got there, too.

She cut up two slices, plating them up and pouring them each a large mug of coffee (black with extra sugar, the way Dean liked it), but Dean didn't show. She waited another ten minutes before quietly making her way to Wren's room to check on him.

Lynnie pushed the door open a tad wider just to see him curled up on Wren's bed, his arms around their daughter. Both were fast asleep, the cat snuggled between them, almost purring in happiness at the warm comfort it was getting. Lynnie couldn't help feeling an overwhelming sense of love for both of them. Dean looked so peaceful, the stress and burden he carried around like a second skin nowhere to be seen as Wren snored in his ear.

Lynnie pulled the door close, letting Dean have one last night of being unburdened by the responsibilities of being a hunter. He had to say goodbye and hit the road tomorrow, but he deserved a few hours of peace before that.

************************************************************************

**So we're starting to get to include the episodes in the story now, starting with next chapter. We already have a few lines from 1x06 in the last bit here. Wonder if Parker and Sam would get there in time to save Jim Miller or if Max had already done the deed…**

**Supernatural has officially ended filming. Our three heroes are no longer Dean, Sam and Castiel. I'm so heartbroken. I can feel all the jagged pieces floating around in my chest. How are the rest of you doing?**


	7. Love Like Ghosts

**Chapter 7: Love Like Ghosts**

**A/N:** The title of this chapter comes from the song of the same name, "Love Like Ghosts" by Lord Huron.

By the way, I'd planned on "The Night We Met" for a very specific Wren-centric chapter WAY down in the future. And then the wonderful genius of Emma Peterson used it as the SOTD for one of the last days of SPN filming ever. Hope that when we do get to that future chapter, you guys can also see the song for Wren, not just as goodbye for the boys in canon.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or Charmed. Just playing in the sandbox.**

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** _Oct 1997_ **   
** _San Francisco, California_ **

Dean grinned as he set a plate of lasagna in front of Mr. Finch, one of the regulars at Halliwell's. He came in every day at lunchtime like clockwork, chose the same table, ate the same damn thing even though every single thing on the menu was ridiculously amazing. He also, as it turned out, ordered a risotto, to be placed opposite him, every single day. He never touched it, barely even looked at it, but the one time they were out of it, he nearly had a panic attack until Aunt Piper resolved the whole thing.

"Here ya go, Mr. Finch," Dean smiled genially, placing the risotto in front of the empty seat opposite the man.

Mr. Finch gave him a smile, small and sad. "Thank you," he murmured.

Dean walked away, shaking his head slightly. "Man, months of this and I still can't figure out the deal with that guy," he muttered, getting behind the counter.

"Oh?" Parker asked, grinning as she closed the cash register. "Guess you're not as great at reading people as you thought you were."

Dean scowled at her playfully, making her laugh. "So, what does your tingly Cupid senses tell you?" he probed.

"I'm not telling you," Parker scoffed. "It's a private thing, what he's going through. Just because, as a Cupid, I have unfettered access, doesn't mean it's my right to go blabbing on people's pain like it's mine to share."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Goody-two-shoes," he accused.

"What are you, five?" she retorted.

"What are you two bickering about now?" a familiar voice asked and Dean swiveled around to find his favorite Halliwell on the planet climbing onto a bar stool opposite where he was standing, a soft smile on her face as she watched the boy she loved and her favorite cousin being as friendly as family could get.

"Dean's need to be as nosy as possible," Parker replied immediately, leaning across the counter to give Lynnie a kiss on the cheek. "How was school today?"

"Amazing," Lynnie beamed, and Dean felt his heart skip a couple of beats. "I just had the most incredible psych class. My professor was just…Brilliant."

Parker rolled her eyes. "I don't think anyone has ever had a hardon for college like you do," she teased.

Lynnie gave her a look. "Okay, baby cousin. I think you've been hanging out with Dean too much," she joked.

"Well, it's out of my hands. Even after months of working this job, he's still clueless. They keep making me spend time with him and teach him," Parker teased.

"Very funny," Dean retorted.

"That's clever. That's a clever response," Parker shot Lynnie a look.

"I can't tell if you're bickering or flirting," Lynnie narrowed her eyes at them, purposely joking just so she could see the flare of alarm in Dean's eyes.

Parker, catching on, sidled closer to Dean, wrapping a hand around his bicep. "Can I help it if he's got that James Dean thing going for him?" she batted her lashes at the older boy.

Dean spluttered, yanking his arm out of her grip as gently as he could and practically stumbling away. "W-what? No! Lynnie, listen…"

Lynnie and Parker burst out laughing at the sheer panic in Dean's face and voice. Catching on to their little ploy, Dean scowled at them both, "Yeah, very funny, you guys."

Parker wiped at a tear at the corner of her eye, still giggling. "Sorry, Dean-o, but you're just not my type," she patted him on the shoulder.

"Speaking of your type," Lynnie started, and both cousins turned their heads to watch the busboy a few tables away. "How's that going?"

Dean gave the busboy a skeptical look. "Really? That guy?" he asked, dubious.

Parker shrugged, a sly smile on her face. "What can I say, that hot geek thing really works for me," she sighed, propping her chin up on her knuckles as she watched Paul. "He's definitely got the hot and fuzzies for me."

"Gross," Dean made a face, pouring an iced tea for Lynnie and sliding it over to her.

Lynnie gave him a grateful smile before raising an eyebrow at Parker. "Personal gain," she reminded her cousin in a sing-song voice.

"Please, like I can help sensing everyone's emotions all the time," Parker rolled her eyes. "If I could stop, do you think I want to feel all the raging hormones you two feel for each other all the time? Yeesh, get a room and stay there a while, why don't you?"

Lynnie blushed bright red, feeling the urge to toss her iced tea in Dean's smug face as he grinned wide. "Parker!" she chided.

"But I can't help it," Parker continued, ignoring Lynnie. "So who's fault is that, mine or the Powers That Be?"

"Please use that line of reasoning when they call you in for judgment," Lynnie grumbled. "I'd love to see their reaction."

"Uh…Excuse me?" a high-pitched voice broke through their conversation. All three of them turned to face the source – a gangly, dark-haired, tall guy in a sweater vest, the name tag pinned to his chest reading 'Paul'. "Parker? Um…My break's coming up and I-I was wondering if you wanted to go grab a bite from the deli down the street?"

Parker beamed at him, bright and cheerful. "Sure, Paul!" she answered happily. "I'm just gonna grab my coat and purse."

As Parker moved from behind the counter and past her, Lynnie whisper-yelled as payback, "Don't forget you're allergic to gluten!"

Parker shot her a glare over her shoulder as she followed Paul out of the restaurant.

Turning back to her guy, Lynnie grinned at him as he leaned in to give her a proper kiss hello. "Hey, gorgeous," he whispered, green eyes sending a shock of electricity down her spine.

"Hey," she greeted back, voice as soft as her smile. "Are we still on for tonight?"

Dean slid his hand into his pants pocket, feeling the bills he'd garnered on tips alone. Sure, he might've wanted the cooler job of working at P3 but he was raking in gold in tips alone working at Aunt Piper's restaurant.

"You bet," he promised. "I've got a good night planned for us, Halliwell. Just you wait and see."

"Does your 'good night' just means hitting a diner and having sex in the backseat of the Impala?" Lynnie asked him suspiciously, her curious frown turning into an excited grin. "'cuz count me in!"

He chuckled, shaking his head. He'd met his match in Melinda Halliwell, that was for Goddamn sure.

"Nah, I'm gonna treat you right tonight, baby," he boasted, making her laugh and shake her head. "Just…I'll pick you up at eight, okay?"

"You're gonna pick me up? With a horse-drawn carriage and a corsage for my wrist?" she teased, loving the blush that crept up his neck. He was smoother than glass when it came to flirting, but throw a little romance in the mix and he was a blushing virgin.

"Shut up. Just…Just be ready at eight, okay?" he rolled his eyes, a little annoyed. "Smartass."

Lynnie leaned in and gave him a kiss to soothe away the sting, his lips curving into a smile against hers as he relaxed into it. They shared Dean's break time together, having lunch together at one of the more secluded alcoves of the restaurant, always reserved for lunchtime for Lynnie's daily visit there in between classes. She spent a little time in the stock room with Dean before having to rush back to campus for class.

Once her last class for the day wrapped up, Lynnie practically jogged back to her dorm room. She had to admit – it was weird these days. Sam and Dean were living in her childhood home with her parents while she was off living in a dorm room twenty minutes away. Dean had mentioned before, when he'd been helping her move into her dorm, that he and Sam were lucky that her parents still wanted them to stick around – they'd officially be the only kids left in the house, what with their three biological children in college.

Honestly, Lynnie thought that her parents loved still having kids in the house. That big ol' manor could get a little too quiet if you were there alone. Besides, with such a big family, they were used to noise rather than stillness.

She had a few new outfits to try on, thanks to a shopping spree she'd gone on with Mom and Aunt Phoebe a while ago to celebrate being a new college student, and she picked a sweater dress to show off her curves and keep her warm in the cool fall weather.

Dean finished up his shift at Halliwell's and returned to the Manor to shower and change. Sam was already in their shared bedroom, flopped on the bed on his belly, doing Math homework.

"Sammy, you're such a dork," Dean shook his head.

Sam turned his head to level his older brother with a glare. "I wanna get good grades, Dean," he said, and even at the age of fourteen, he sounded like he was nagging. "Aunt Piper said she can get Dad to let us stay here until I graduate."

Dean paused for a moment. He was grateful for everything Lynnie's family had done for him and Sam – especially Aunt Piper. She was really the only one their dad couldn't say no to. She always fought for him and Sam to have a somewhat normal life whenever they were in San Francisco. It was a miracle that Dad even still let them stay with the Halliwells, with how often he butted heads with the matriarch. Frankly, Dean thought that Aunt Piper always threatened to use magical means to find them if Dad ever stopped sending them over.

Continuing to button up his shirt, Dean shot his brother a warning look. "Don't get your hopes up, Sammy," he warned, as gentle as he could. "Aunt Piper's a mean son of a bitch, but so's Dad. He's not gonna let us shake our legs for four years."

"But things are different now," Sam argued. "I'm in high school. If I get to stay here, maybe one day I can go to college."

"College?" Dean stared at his little brother. "You, uh…You really wanna do that?" he swallowed thickly.

He was pretty damn sure no matter what grand plan Sam and Aunt Piper cooked up, no matter what dreams he and Lynnie indulged in, Dean was headed back on the road, with Dad, on a never-ending road trip to hunt monsters, especially The Monster.

For the most part, he was okay with that. He was a hunter. It wasn't just his job, it was who he was. It was engrained into his very soul. It had been hell overhearing the Charmed Ones talking about going on demon vanquishes and not stepping in to help. He knew Lynnie was starting to get involved – the Charmed Ones had a strict "only-get-involved-post-high-school" rule – though from what he could tell it was mostly research and potion-making. But it was still more than he was contributing, and it made him feel deeply unsettled.

But whenever he thought about how being on the road meant leaving Lynnie behind…It gutted him.

The only consolation he had was that Sammy would be with him. He loved Dad, respected him and looked up to him. The man was a real-life superhero and Dean had the privilege of being his son. But he was a hard man to live with sometimes. That was expected, of course – you can't go through crap like Dad went through and come out rosy. Dean understood, but sometimes it was just easier having Sam around to get through it all.

"Well, yeah," Sam admitted shyly, bringing Dean out of his thoughts. "There's more to life than monsters, Dean. I wanna find out what it is."

"Huh."

He drove over to the USF campus with a distracted mind. Pulling into an empty spot in front of Lynnie's dorm building, Dean turned off the engine of his beautiful Impala, slumping in his seat, blank eyes staring straight ahead at nothing in particular. He didn't want to admit it, not even to himself, but Sam deserved a good life – the best the world had to offer – and Dean was pretty sure that life existed outside of hunting monsters. One day, and soon, Dean would have to get used to living life without his little brother by his side.

Heart clenching painfully, Dean was too lost in thought to hear the sound of approaching footsteps. He jumped when someone rapped at the window of the Impala. Catching sight of Lynnie peeking in, Dean started and pushed the door open, climbing out.

"Hey," he greeted her with a kiss. "What're you doing down here? I told you I'd pick you up upstairs. I've got flowers in the back and everything."

Lynnie grinned at him. "I heard the Impala growling from all the way upstairs when you pulled up," she explained. "I waited for you to come up but you never stepped out of the car. It's been, like, fifteen minutes."

Dean blinked, surprised. "It has?" he wondered.

She nodded. "Just thought I'd come down here myself and see if everything's okay," she clutched the lapels of his jacket and tugged slightly, straightening it. "_Is_ everything okay?"

He smiled slightly. "Yeah, yeah…Everything's fine," he assured her, taking a good look at her for the first time that night. She was always beautiful, even in the ratty sweatshirt she could never throw away because it was so soft, but standing there, dark hair curled prettily, lashes thick and full, smile lighting her entire face…And that dress…Wow. He felt his breath catch in his throat, his heart stuttering in his chest. "Wow."

He could've probably been more eloquent but the gobsmacked look on his face was compliment enough. Lynnie beamed, wide and adoring, "Yeah?"

He leaned in for a more thorough kiss, tasting the cherry flavor of her lipstick. "_Hell_ yeah," he confirmed, giving her a leery look to make her laugh.

Dean tried his best to not think about Sam's future plans as he spent his time with the girl of his dreams. She was his comfort, holding him close as they swayed to the music at P3, some indie rock band he didn't even know the name of playing up on stage.

Feeling her slump against him sometime after the second slow song the band played, Dean snuck a look at his watch. "It's getting late. Wanna end the night?" he asked, knowing that Lynnie didn't survive on four hours of sleep a night, like he had since he was seven years old.

"No," she mumbled into his collarbone, her arms growing tighter around him.

Dean grinned, dropping a kiss onto her head. "C'mon," he cajoled. "The band's almost done, anyway. Spend the night with me at the Manor?"

Lynnie smiled, tired eyes brightening at the thought of starting the weekend cooped up at home with the boy she loved. College was fun as hell, and she was enjoying all of her classes so much, but between classes and a part-time job at Halliwell's, she was barely keeping upright by the end of most days. She didn't know how Dean dealt with such strenuous days with only four hours of rest but she respected the hell out of him for handling it.

All she wanted to do was sleep in until noon tomorrow, cuddled up in bed with Dean, and spend some time soaked up in her parents' clawfoot bathtub when she was ready to be awake again.

Lynnie's plans for the weekend – and Dean's plan for the foreseeable future – ground to a halt when they reached the Manor. Hearing the commotion in the sitting room, she and Dean exchanged worried looks as they slowly crept forward. Dean reached into his jacket, fingering the gun he always kept tucked into his belt. Yelling at the Manor generally meant demons.

Dean didn't have to worry, though. Not in the way he thought he would have to. Only Piper, Leo and Sam were in the sitting room, no demons in sight.

Aunt Piper was on the phone, doing that thing where she was whispering and yelling at the same time, eyes and nose flaring in anger. Sam was hysterical, yelling to be heard by whoever was on the other line with Piper. Leo was trying to calm him down, calling him by his preferred nickname, "It's okay, Sam. Don't worry about it, okay? We'll figure it out."

"You promised them, John!" Aunt Piper was saying into the phone. "You promised me. Goddammit, this isn't good for them!"

"I'm supposed to enter into the science fair!" Sam yelled, hoping he could be heard on the other side of the phone call. "I joined the debate team!"

"John," Piper hissed into the phone. "You committed to this. You can't just go changing your mind…Yes, I know you're their dad. John. John!"

Shaking her head, Piper aggressively pressed a button on the phone to end the call, John having hung up on her. Stewing for a moment, Piper gave into her rage at John and his unreasonable behavior. Tossing the phone into the air, she flicked her wrist and watched as it exploded into a million fiery pieces, barely any ashes left to flutter to the ground. She felt just a tiny bit of the anger she was feeling dissipate, the pressure in her chest just a tad alleviated.

"Piper!" Leo chided, giving her a shocked look as he looked wide-eyed at Sam, teary-eyed and stunned into silence.

Piper shut her eyes, taking in a deep breath to calm herself down.

Lynnie shot a concerned look at Dean, knowing with a sure and broken heart that their time together had come to an end yet again – until the next time he and Sam could make it to San Francisco. Dean couldn't bring himself to return her look. He was disappointed enough as it was. Sam was upset enough. He worried if he looked at his girl, he'd fight against Dad's orders.

Clearing his throat and steeling his shoulders, Dean put on an indifferent mask – the one Lynnie absolutely hated but understood. Stepping into clear view, he pretended to be in the dark, voice gruff as he asked, "What's going on?"

Piper, Leo and Sam jumped, three heads swiveling to look in the direction of Dean's voice. His eyes widened slightly. "Wow, that was a little creepy," he admitted, hoping to break the tension a little.

Sam ignored him, breaking away from Leo to rush to his big brother. "Dean, dad wants us to get back on the road!" he told Dean, eyes wide and watery. "He said we can spend a whole year here. He said it! And now he's taking it back! You have to do something!"

Dean sighed, peeking over Sam's head to where Piper was standing, mouth set in a thin, angry line. She wasn't saying anything and the look in her eyes confirmed what he already knew. There was no convincing dad this time. Frankly, Dean thought Dad might've been on a bender when Piper had asked him for this impossible favor and he'd agreed purely because he was too drunk to grasp what she was really asking.

"I'm not sure I can do anything, Sammy," he admitted quietly, hating the look of betrayal in Sam's eyes at his unwillingness to even try. "Dad's given the orders. You know we gotta follow."

"No!" Sam disagreed loudly, standing tall and stubborn. "I wanna stay here, Dean! I…I have friends! I'm going to the dance with Carly Paulson! I don't want to leave!"

"Hey, look, I get it," Dean held up his hands, shooting a furtive glance Lynnie's way. "Wanting to stay for a girl? I get that, I do, but –"

"No, you don't!" Sam scoffed. "Your girlfriend can orb to you every day, any time, anywhere. I say goodbye to Carly, and that's it. I won't see her again."

"Yes, you will," Dean assured him. "C'mon, how many times do we pass through San Francisco? Huh? She'll still be here."

"You don't know that!"

"Sammy," Dean sighed. "I'm sorry. But Dad says we gotta go, so we gotta go."

Sam's lip quivered as he stared at his older brother, angry and disbelieving.

Leo, wanting to diffuse the tension, stepped forward, placing a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "Sam, look…" he began, but Sam didn't let him continue. He shrugged off Leo's hand, feeling like he might burst into tears if Leo tried to be comforting and understanding. The last thing he needed was to cry in front of Dean when all his brother wanted to do was stand there being dad's perfect soldier.

"I'm not going," he insisted, voice low in anger. "You can't make me. Dad can't make me."

"Sam," Dean warned.

Sam didn't want to hear Dean's speech about being a good son, about how dad always knew best, about how they were stronger together as a family. He didn't want to hear the rehearsed speech about how living on the road, killing monsters and sleeping in the car was a good life. He didn't even think Dean really believed that – not when he'd seen how happy Dean had been the past few months, living life as a Normie in San Francisco, just being an average guy, working and being with his girlfriend and having family dinners every night.

Turning on his heel, Sam rushed out of the room and up the stairs, heading straight for the bedroom he'd been able to call his every time he and Dean stayed at the Manor, and slamming the door shut.

Dean sighed, shaking his head. He was disappointed, too, but he wasn't going to let emotion get in the way of familial obligation. He wished Sam understood that better. Dad had no one – just them. Sam was always so quick to want to abandon their lives on the road, but did he even understand what they'd be abandoning along the way? The chance to save people, hunt monsters…Do some good in the world. And, of course, most importantly, they'd also be abandoning their dad. There was no way in hell Dad would ever give up the hunt until the thing that killed Mom was dead. Nor should he. Dean would've never stopped, either.

"I'm so sorry, sweetie," Piper told him, eyes red and mouth twisted into a grim frown. "I really tried but that stubborn son of a bitch…"

"Piper," Leo warned again, gentle but firm.

Dean felt a sharp, sudden sting of jealousy, cutting deep, straight to the heart. Lynnie had such great parents, such a great life. He wished he could share it with her, for more than just bits here and there.

"It's okay," he told them, the parents he'd never have. "You tried. I'll go talk to Sam. Did, uh, did Dad say when?"

"He's getting here by sunrise," Piper smiled sadly at him.

Dean nodded, turning to leave. He passed by Lynnie on the way out of the room, and though he could barely look her in the eye, she reached out to grasp his hand, halting his movement. He paused, feeling the warmth of her skin seep through to his suddenly cold hand. Looking up at her beautiful brown eyes, he could only see understanding and acceptance despite the sadness lingering at the frown of her lips. Reaching up on tiptoes, Lynnie leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. Dean closed his eyes, taking comfort in her for just a moment, squeezing her hand in gratitude once before letting go.

Sam was in their shared bedroom, haphazardly throwing his things into his duffel. For a second, Dean let himself believe that Sam was giving in, accepting that they couldn't disobey Dad. But then, Sam was never that easy to handle.

"I'm running away," Sam informed him stubbornly, chucking carefully folded shirts and rolled up underwear (probably done by Aunt Piper) into his bag without pause. "If I'm not here, then Dad can't get me to leave. And he can't fight with Aunt Piper about it, either."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and who do you think Dad will blame, huh?" he questioned. "It's gonna be me. And Aunt Piper."

Sam kept quiet, continuing to aggressively pack while throwing Dean a glare over his shoulder. Dean shook his head, striding forward and reached out to grasp Sam by the shoulders, turning him around forcefully to look at him. Sam struggled against his hold, almost breaking free. Dean was reminded yet again that Sam was probably going to be taller than him in a few months, already almost at the same height. He missed the days when Sam was just a kid who looked at him with adulation rather than disappointment.

"Look, I get it, I do," he insisted yet again, the growl in his voice stopping Sam short. "You think I like this? Huh? I don't. You think I didn't like what we had here? A job, a family…A roof over our heads. Being a part of Lynnie's life in a way I can't when we're on the road. Yeah, I liked it. Hell, I loved it. But we gotta think about more than just ourselves here, Sammy. We gotta think about Dad."

"Why? He never thinks about us," Sam argued.

"You shut your mouth," Dean snapped. "Dad's been through hell. Okay? The way he lost Mom…God, I can't even…If that happened to you or Lynnie, I'd lose it more than Dad ever did."

That seemed to stop Sam short. Dean, grasping onto that little bit of hope, peered into his little brother's eyes, pleading, "We're all Dad's got, Sammy. We're all he's got left. Just you and me. So, yeah, it's been nice. It's been great. And we'll come back whenever we can. But we can't just abandon the man. He's our dad. You understand?"

Sam sighed, dropping his head. "Yeah," he mumbled dejectedly.

"I'm sorry about Carly," Dean patted him on the shoulder.

Sam shrugged, a sad smile on his lips. "She'll still be here, right?" he repeated Dean's earlier words, not believing it for a second.

"Yeah," Dean ruffled Sam's hair, making the younger boy scowl and push him away. "C'mon. Finish packing. Dad's gonna be here by morning."

Sam looked like he was about to argue but one look at Dean's stoic face, obviously a front to mask his own feelings about having to be away from San Francisco, had him keeping quiet.

Dean packed in a matter of minutes – a skill he'd mastered since the age of four – and climbed into his bed, boots and jacket still on. Sam took longer, procrastinating out of sheer stubborn rage, but he was quiet about it so Dean left him to stew in silence. There was nothing he could do about the situation, anyway.

He tried to fall asleep but he was still wide awake hours later when Sam was snoring away in the next bed, dressed in the pajamas he only had whenever they were either at the Manor or at Uncle Bobby's house. Dean laid stiff as a log on his back, arms crossed, as he thought about his dad. Hopefully, everything was alright with the old man. If he was injured, maybe Lynnie could heal him before the three of them hit the road.

Thinking about Lynnie was like a sucker punch to the gut. His mind drifted back to their last slow dance at P3 just hours ago. She'd mentioned wanting to sleep in and soak in a bath and cuddle in bed – all sappy things he'd never admit wanting to do with her, but man, he wished he had time to do all of those things.

Before he knew it, he was engulfed in a swirl of blue and white orbs, the room around him disappearing. He blinked and suddenly he was lying on Lynnie's purple sheets, the bouncy bed making him startle a little. Turning his head, he saw her sitting cross-legged on the bed next to him, fingers twisting the ends of her long hair, biting her lip anxiously.

Sitting up, he raised his eyebrows at her, grinning a little. "Trying to get me kicked out early?" he joked.

She shot him a look. "I'm sorry you've got to leave in the morning," she said quietly.

He sighed, running a hand through his short hair. "Yeah, me too," he admitted, kicking off his boots and shucking off his jacket. Mimicking her position, he sat cross-legged opposite her, cupping her cheek in one large hand to pull her close.

Brushing his lips softly against hers, he watched as her eyes fluttered shut. He didn't want to miss a single moment, so he tried keeping his eyes open, but she reached for his shirt, pulling it over his head, and pushed him back on the bed. Her kisses grew more insistent, his hands reaching under the thin camisole she wore, and his eyes slid shut on their own accord.

Lynnie swung her leg over his, straddling Dean. She grinned as he inched her camisole up over her body, pulling her close.

"The door's locked, right?" Dean asked, breathless.

"Not gonna stop any whitelighters from orbing in, but yeah," Lynnie trailed kisses down his jaw, reaching under to tug his zipper down.

"Yeah, that's comforting," he chuckled, the sound warming her soul.

"Better get to it fast then," she urged, yelping and giggling as he flipped them over, taking charge.

Dean slid his hands down her smooth thigh, hiking her leg over his hip. "Shh, sweetheart," he murmured against her throat. "Let's not get me in trouble and waste a single second."

His hands and lips touched her in all the right ways, her giggles turning into moans that he quietened with his mouth. She gave into him, welcoming him in, and he took as much as she could give, knowing that he was a lucky son of a bitch for being able to call her his.

She fell asleep after the third time they came together and he watched her for as long as he could, brushing his fingers through her hair and down her smooth back. She moaned in her sleep, snuggling closer to him, and he pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder. She smelled like sweat, sex and her peach body wash. His mouth watered but the sun was going to come up in half an hour. He kissed her, feeling her smile in her sleep, and climbed out of her bed.

Dean took a quick shower, shrugging on clean clothes and shaking Sam awake to do the same. Aunt Piper had breakfast waiting at the kitchen table, piling on some pancakes onto separate plates for him and Sam. He noticed a third, empty plate set next to their full ones and wondered who it was for.

Aunt Piper, noticing his quick glance, told him with a sniff, "It's for John. Figured he could at least have breakfast here with you boys before you hit the road."

Dean hesitated, unsure if Dad was going to be in a rush or if he could spare the time. One look at Aunt Piper's stony face had him minding his own business, tucking into his champion's breakfast.

Twenty minutes later, he could hear a familiar honking outside from Dad's truck. Sam, having just started on his breakfast, jumped at the sound. Dean rose from his seat, ready to haul ass. Aunt Piper levelled both boys with a stern look.

"Sit," she ordered. "Finish your breakfast."

"But…Dad's probably in a hurry," Dean worried.

"Hmm."

The honking happened a few more times, loud enough to wake the entire house.

"God, what time is it?" Leo mumbled as he stumbled into the room, Lynnie right behind him. Dean smiled at the sight of her, adorable bedhead and sleepy frown making his heart skip a few beats.

"Too freakin' early, that's what," Piper muttered angrily, not as quietly as she'd like to think. "Grab a plate, have a seat. It's time for breakfast."

Lynnie eyed her mother like she was insane, but she accepted the plate of pancakes and bacon handed to her and sat down next to Dean at the breakfast table. Watching Sam and Dean with wary eyes as though they were bound to disappear any minute, she barely touched her food, fork twirling some scrambled egg around her plate absentmindedly.

Finally, the doorbell rang, followed by loud raps on the front door that might just break it down.

Piper, far from worried, beamed brightly at them all. "Oh, I wonder who that could be," she said cheerily. "I'll go have a look."

Leo jumped from his seat. "Uh…Maybe I should go," he gave his wife a calming smile, directing her to take his seat instead. "You've been cooking for us. Put your feet up, honey."

"Don't tell me what to do!" Piper snapped at him playfully, narrowing her eyes. He smiled, wide and adoring, and pressed a kiss to her cheek before turning to head for the front door.

Though there was a fair bit of distance from the front door to the kitchen, they could still hear John angrily shouting, "What the hell is going on here!? You know how long I've been waiting out there!?"

Piper, unconcerned in the slightest, smiled as she held up the little ceramic jug in front of her. "More syrup?" she asked.

Lynnie shared a wide-eyed look with Dean.

John stormed into the kitchen just seconds later, big and angry, a scowl on his face underneath the grizzled beard. Piper barely reacted, grabbing a piece of toast and buttering it with a serene smile. Lynnie watched with worried eyes as Sam slumped in his seat, dejection written all over his face, while Dean straightened up, a soldier waiting for orders, eyes trained on his father.

Despite how irritated he was with Piper-Friggin-Halliwell, John couldn't help the small smile creeping up on his lips at the sight of his boys. Ignoring the White witch for the moment, John greeted his sons, "Boys. Been a while. How's it been?"

"Good," Dean answered immediately, kicking Sam under the table when his younger brother scoffed. "Quiet. Not a lot of demonic activity in the house recently."

"Dean got a job," Sam blurted out, turning accusing eyes to his father. "At the restaurant. He wants to work at a garage, though. Supposed to go for an interview on Monday."

"Yeah, but none of that matters now," Dean cut him off with a stern glare. "We've got work to do on the road, Sammy."

Predicting his brother's response – tossing everything he cared about to the side just to please their dad – Sam gave John a lowdown on how his own life had been recently. "My English teacher told me I'm one of the best students he's ever had. He wants me to keep writing, says I've got a talent for it," he told John, almost spitting it in his face. "The prettiest girl in school said yes when I asked her to the dance next week. I'm gonna be in the science fair."

John stared at his younger boy, sadness in his eyes. Sam had the same exact spirit that Mary did. He had loved that about her, and he loved it about Sam, even when his son was trying to point out how his life had been better without John in it.

"I'm sorry, son," he said, genuine in his apology. "But it's not safe to stay in one place for too long."

"Right, because having the Charmed Ones' protection can't possibly keep them safe," Piper scoffed, ignoring her husband's gentle look of reprimand as he rejoined them all in the kitchen.

"Don't pretend you've never lost an innocent," John snapped at her, his first words of acknowledgement to her. Piper's jaw clicked shut, her eyes burning holes into his skull. "Demons come around for every meal of the day, every single day, in this house. Yeah, you blow them all up and it's all very John McClane, but that don't mean my kids need to be caught up in the crossfire."

"You should've thought about that before raising them as hunters," Piper shot back.

"Boys," John growled. "Hop to. We gotta hit the road."

"By the way, John, how nice to see you again," Piper greeted sarcastically. "Yeah, we're all doing fine. How nice of you to ask. Sam and Dean were just having breakfast before you force them to leave. Care to join us?"

John glared at the Halliwell matriarch. "Piper, I don't have time for this," he snapped. "Thanks for taking care of the boys while I was away, but I'm back now. And we need to get moving."

"Unless there's a meteor that's about to hit this house that you need to run the hell away from, John Winchester, you can sit your ass down, take a plate and have breakfast with your sons," Piper glared right back, unafraid in the face of his anger.

Like she did from time to time, Piper won against John, and he sighed heavily as he dropped down into the seat next to Sam. Piper was too angry so Leo fixed him up a plate and offered him some orange juice. He asked for his non-alcoholic beverage of choice instead, downing an entire mug of black coffee in two swigs before pouring himself another.

"Tell your dad about your science fair project, Sam," Piper urged, smiling at the boy.

Sam stared at her, unamused. "Why? I'm not going to enter now, am I?" he sulked.

"Doesn't matter," Leo insisted, backing up his wife. "You still did it, and it was great, buddy. C'mon, tell him. I'm sure he'd be happy to know."

Sam snuck a peek at John's tired, angry face, and John took in the boy, looking at him with Mary's eyes, lips twisting into an unsure smile the same as hers had been. Heart caught in his throat, John smiled, reaching out to pat his son on the back. "Yeah, son," he encouraged. "Go ahead. Tell me."

"No, thanks," Sam slammed his fork down on the table next to his plate. "If you wanted to know about my project, you'd let me stay and go to the fair with me."

"Sam," Dean chided, watching anxiously as Sam grabbed his duffel and headed for the entryway.

"I'll be in the car," Sam announced with his back to the room, not bothering to wait for his dad or Dean. He wanted to hug Piper and Leo goodbye, thank them for taking care of him and Dean for the past few months, but he was too sad. If he hugged them, he might cry, and he hadn't cried in front of Dad since he was seven.

Dean swallowed, glancing nervously at his Dad.

"He's just tired," he apologized for his little brother. "And upset. He didn't mean that, Dad."

"Yes, he did," Piper argued, defending the boy. "He's disappointed. You gave him hope, then you yanked it away. And don't feel like you need to sugarcoat it for your dad, sweetie. You're disappointed, too."

John, embarrassment and anger burning deep in his chest, glared at Piper. "Stop encouraging them to be disobedient," he warned. "Sammy wouldn't act out like this if you didn't give him so much freedom to do what he wants. Kids need discipline."

"Kids need to be kids," Piper countered.

"Dean, get in the car," John ordered, done with the touchy-feely crap Piper Halliwell insisted on cramming down his throat.

He knew he wasn't winning any parenting awards anytime soon and, yeah, he regretted that. Thinking back to the ideas he had back when Mary was still alive and their family was still whole, John knew that his younger self wouldn't recognize what he'd become, would probably even be ashamed of how he was raising the boys. But he was doing the best he could. Their family had been shattered when Mary had been slaughtered right in front of them. What he was doing – what he was training the boys to do – was important. It was all that mattered.

"Yes, sir," Dean answered immediately, abandoning his plate even though he was only halfway through breakfast.

Lynnie slid out of her seat, muttering something about helping him load up the car. Dean snatched his duffel and backpack from the floor where it was leaning against the kitchen's entryway. Slipping her hand into his, Lynnie felt him squeeze hard as they headed outside together. He didn't speak, didn't even look at her, as he loaded his bags in next to Sam's in the trunk of the Impala, on top of the fake bottom where she knew he kept a colorful rainbow of weapons. Sam was already in the passenger's seat, arms crossed over his chest and head against the glass window, eyes closed as he slept. Lynnie wasn't even sure if he was really asleep or just pretending so he wouldn't have to listen to his brother take their dad's side yet again.

Shutting the trunk close, Dean sighed as he finally slid his eyes to his girl. Her pale cheeks were red from the chilly, early morning breeze and her eyes were bright, a soft, sad smile on her lips. She was so beautiful, and the sight of her made him already miss the life they'd had the past couple of months and he wasn't even on the road yet. Being there, day to day, getting so involved in her life, actually being a part of it…It was different than having a few hours together whenever she could orb to him between hunts (if they were lucky). He didn't know if they were ever going to have this again, this normal apple pie life together, and he wanted to hold onto it as long as he could.

Knowing that his dad was bound to come storming out of the Manor at any given moment, Dean wrapped his hand around both of Lynnie's wrists, drawing her close, his other hand cupping her neck.

"Well, it's been great while it lasted," he smiled wryly.

Lynnie smiled back at him, eyes growing glassy, as Dean pressed her hands over his heart. "It's not over," she insisted. "Not forever. We'll have this again. Someday."

"Right," he placated, unsure if she believed her own words. He sure as hell didn't but he wanted to so badly. "Until then…"

"Until then, we'll have motel rooms and phone calls and love letters," she promised, smiling against his lips as he drew her in for a kiss goodbye. "I love you, Dean."

He stared into her beautiful eyes, warm and inviting, and felt a profound loss like he was leaving home for something lesser. "I love you, too," he admitted, heart clenching as he said the words to one of the three people alive he'd ever said those words to.

Not wanting to waste the few minutes they had left, Lynnie gripped onto the lapels of Dean's leather jacket and pulled him close, breathing in the scent of cologne and leather and losing herself in the feel of him, pressed against her, his large hands wrapped around her, his kisses making her dizzy.

"Dean."

The gruff voice of John Winchester broke them apart and they turned to see him jogging down the steps leading up to the Manor, Piper and Leo standing at the entryway to the house, staring after him. Piper was scowling, as she always did whenever John pulled what she called a "Pure John Move", and Leo's arms around her was probably the only thing stopping her from causing some supernatural damage.

"I'm texting you coordinates," John told his son, ignoring the teen romance moment he'd interrupted. "It's a fair bit away. I estimate we'll reach in about three days – two if we haul ass."

"Yes, sir," Dean nodded, his posture ramrod straight, like that of a soldier when addressing a commanding officer.

With a fair bit of sadness, Lynnie realized that John was more like a CO than a father. Sadder than she could express for both Dean and Sam, Lynnie watched as the older Winchester clapped Dean on the shoulder before heading for his truck, parked in front of the Impala. Without so much as a wave goodbye, John had peeled away from the curbside, headed for the road away from San Francisco.

"Guess I should get going," Dean said, turning back to Lynnie. She freed one of her hands to cup his cheek, tracing his sad smile with her thumb. "I'll call once we get where we're going."

Nodding, she leaned up on tiptoes to press a kiss to the side of his mouth. "Be safe, okay?" she whispered, pressing her forehead to his.

"You know me," he joked lightly, wrapping his arms around her slim waist to keep her anchored to him for just a moment. "You, too, okay? Don't fight any powerful demons when I'm gone."

"You know me," she bantered, throwing his words back at him. He pressed one, two, three kisses to her soft lips before he was forced to pull away – he couldn't fall too far behind his Dad or he'd never hear the end of how he was letting a girl distract him from the job.

Lynnie stepped back onto the curb, watching as he climbed into the driver's seat, checked on his little brother sleeping in the passenger's seat, and started up the engine. Dean lifted his hand in a wave as he drove off, and Lynnie waved back, heart in her throat.

She could hear someone coming up behind her, but she didn't turn, not wanting to lose sight of the Impala as it disappeared down the street.

"C'mon, honey," her dad's voice called out, warm and gentle as it had always been, a soothing balm to her aching soul. His arm wrapped around her shoulders, a heavy comfort she needed. "Let's go back inside. It's freezing out here."

Lynnie didn't budge until the Impala was out of sight, letting her dad lead her back inside. "Want some tea?" her mom asked, a sympathetic smile on her lips.

Lynnie shook her head. "No, thanks," she mumbled. "I…It's kinda early. I think I'm gonna head back to bed for a little while."

"Sure, sweetie," her mom pressed a kiss to her forehead, running a gentle hand down her back.

Lynnie gave her parents a grateful smile, truly thankful that they were the best parents she could have ever asked for, and made her way back to her room. She climbed into the bed, still warm and smelling like Dean, and curled up underneath her comforter. Closing her eyes and pressing her nose into the pillow Dean had used, she could almost imagine him lying there with her, his arms a safe haven she never knew she needed.

*************************************************************

** _April 2006_ **   
** _Saginaw, Michigan_ **

Parker Beamed herself and Sam to the address that Darryl had given her. Focusing on Jim Miller, she was able to Beam them directly where he was. Unfortunately for all three of them, Jim Miller was in a locked car, garage door closed, filled with noxious gas.

"Oh, my God!" Parker gasped, seeing the man slumped over in the driver's seat. "Sam!"

"Parker! Get the garage door open!" Sam yelled, rushing over to the driver's side of the car. He tried jiggling the car door but it wouldn't budge, locked from the inside. Grabbing a crowbar he spotted leaning against the garage wall, Sam turned his head away to shield his eyes and smashed through the window of the passenger's side.

Parker found the button to open the garage door and slammed her fist on it, rushing to Sam's side as he pulled Jim from the car and onto the floor, lying him down as he started CPR.

"He's not breathing," Sam panicked, hands clasped together as he pressed down on Jim's chest. "Parker, should we call for Lynnie?"

Parker gave him a saddened look. "She can heal but she can't bring someone back from the dead, Sam," she said. Her eyes were watering, and the hand pressed to her nose and mouth wasn't keeping the gas out anymore. "Sam, we have to go."

"No!" he shook his head, still attempting CPR.

"Sam, he's gone," she laid a hand on his arm. "We have to put him back and get out of here. We can't help him."

"We have to try!"

"Sam, I can't breathe," she pleaded, knowing that the only way to get him to leave was to get him to think about her safety. He was a Winchester, after all, and they wore their hero complexes on their sleeves.

True enough, her words were enough for him to stop CPR. She Beamed Jim's body back into the car, in the same position they found him in. Closing the garage door again, Parker held her breath as she took Sam's hand and Beamed them out of the gas-filled garage.

They reappeared in the kitchen of Lynnie and Parker's apartment. Lynnie and Dean were seated at the breakfast island, steaming mugs of coffee in their hands.

"Well?" Dean asked as soon as he spotted them.

Sam shook his head, turning away so that Dean couldn't catch the frustrated tears swelling in his eyes. He was exhausted and frustrated and annoyed and confused, and frankly it was making him as emotional as he had been as an insecure twelve-year-old.

Dean clenched his jaw, noting the devastated look on his brother's face as he thought about how, if he had been maybe just a few minutes earlier, a man's life could've been saved.

"Look, there's nothing you could've done, okay?" Dean said gruffly, setting his mug down to approach Sam. "No, listen to me," he clasped Sam on the shoulder when Sam shook his head again, disbelief and desolation written all over his face. "You tried, okay? You brought a friggin' Cupid across eight states in two seconds flat and it was still too late. You weren't meant to save him, Sammy."

"That's bull," Sam glared at his brother. "There's a reason I'm getting these visions, Dean, and it's not so that I can sit around and watch the same people die twice."

"We don't know the reason you're getting these visions," Dean argued, uncomfortable at the mention of these supposed powers Sam suddenly had. It wasn't that he was uncomfortable around magic – you didn't get to have a White witch as a soulmate and be uncomfortable around magic – but powers suddenly popping up in adulthood? That was a new one for him and it made him question it.

Sam exhaled loudly, tired that they were going around the same circle again and again. "I'm gonna grab my stuff," he said glumly. "I can't wait to hit the road tomorrow, Dean. I'm gonna go on ahead."

Dean held up his hand. "Whoa, whoa, slow your roll, cowboy," he said. "You can't wait a couple of hours?"

"Dean, we're still days away from Saginaw by car," Sam pointed out. "I don't wanna wait. Okay? The cops are probably gonna be there soon. I wanna be there, talk to the neighbors, see what I can get from the family…"

Dean shot him a look. "A couple of days isn't gonna matter, Sam," he pointed out, trying to reason with the boy. "The man's already dead."

"It matters to me," Sam insisted stubbornly.

"Dean, look, if you really need to go now, then go," Lynnie said, her voice as understanding as it had been when they were younger and their time cut short again and again because John wanted them to hit the road again. "I'll talk to Wren when she wakes up. And, if you have a break in between cases, maybe we can orb to you somewhere."

"No! No, we've talked about this!" Dean was adamant, eyes flashing in anger and chest heaving as he fought for just a few extra hours with his kid. "I'm not gonna up and leave in the middle of the night!"

"Wren will understand."

"She shouldn't have to!" Dean shot back, and who could argue with him on that?

"Look, how about this," Parker stepped in, the voice of reason. "I'll take Sam back to Saginaw, and you can catch up in a few days. It's not like Dean can leave the Impala here anyway, Sam."

"You sure?" Dean asked her, brows furrowed.

Parker smiled, putting on a peppy front to balance out Sam's entirely gloomy presence. "Totally," she reassured him. "C'mon, Sam. You can show me all the perks of settling into a new town as a hunter."

Despite himself, Sam couldn't help the small smile flitting on his lips. "There aren't really any perks," he told her. "We get crappy motel rooms, cheap suits and barely decent food."

Parker looped her arm through his as she led him out of the kitchen and into the guest bedroom where they could get his things before they left for Michigan. "Are you kidding? My first fake I.D. since I was seventeen! How this not be an exciting perk?" she asked, cheerful. "We are getting me a fake I.D., right?"

Sam chuckled a little. "I guess we could stop at a Kinko's, yeah," he agreed.

Dean turned to look at Lynnie as their voices faded. "I'm sorry," he told her, genuine heartbreak in his voice. "I'm sorry I have to leave."

Lynnie put down her coffee and walked around the island to get to him. "Dean, we always knew you'd get back on the road again," she wrapped her hands around his wrists, trying to offer him some comfort. "Hunting…It's who you are. We knew that six years ago and we know it now. It's not a deal-breaker."

"Yeah?"

She nodded, "I promise. Okay? This isn't going to change things. And…I know you're scared, about Sam's visions. But we'll help him through this. It'll be okay."

Exhaling loudly, Dean suddenly felt incredibly tired. "You think?"

"Yeah, I really do," she released her hold on his wrists and patted him on the chest. "You should get some shut-eye."

He shook his head. "Nah. I'm too wired. I think I'm just gonna watch some TV," he shrugged out his tense shoulders.

Lynnie gave him a look. "You're about to take on a road trip to the other side of the country in a few hours," she pointed out. "You're not doing that without any sleep."

He was stubborn, but the Halliwells were notorious for being more tenacious than anybody else. Before he knew it, he was snoring into his pillow, chasing after a dreamless sleep as the sun started to rise.

Tiny hands patted at his cheek and Dean's eyes fluttered open, only to look into eyes as green as his own.

"Daddy, wake up," Wren whispered into his face. He could smell the strawberry scent of her kids' toothpaste. "It's time for breakfast. Mommy's making waffles."

"Waffles!?" Dean put on an overly excited voice, wrapping one strong arm around Wren's waist and lifting her up as he rose from the bed. The sudden movement made her shriek in laughter, giggling as he hauled her in a fireman's carry over his shoulders. "Mm, love me some waffles!"

Wren chose, as she's had for every meal since he's shown up in her life, to sit right next to Dean. Lynnie placed one waffle on her Wonder Woman plate, drizzled lightly with chocolate syrup, berries on the side. Wren smiled widely, immediately spearing a blueberry with her fork. "Thanks, Mommy," she mumbled around a mouthful of berries.

Dean downed three full cups of coffee to wake himself up more and took on four waffles (though Lynnie couldn't be sure if he was just hungry or trying to delay the inevitable talk) before he pushed his plate away and turned slightly to face Wren.

"Okay, listen, kiddo, we gotta talk," Dean said, looking Wren right in the eye. "Uncle Sam…He found someone who needs help. Real bad."

Wren grew quiet, looking at him with large, wise eyes. "Are you going to help them?" she asked softly.

He nodded, placing a gentle hand on her back. "Yeah, buddy, I gotta," he answered, squinting his eyes a little as he continued, "This means I gotta leave here. Uncle Sam's already gone, but I wanted to wait so I could say goodbye to you."

Wren sniffed, and Miss Kitty jumped up from her spot on the floor beneath Wren's feet to cuddle up on her lap. Wren wrapped her arms around the cat, taking comfort in the soft fur and the purring.

"Are you ever coming back?" she wondered, and Dean's heart jumped to his throat.

"Yeah, of course, bud!" he hoisted both Wren and the cat into his lap, pressing a kiss to the top of his girl's head. "Your mom and I, we worked out a plan. I'll come back every chance I get, and I promise it won't take years this time. And I'll call you every day."

"Maybe sometimes we can even orb to Daddy and Uncle Sam," Lynnie suggested, sending Wren a warm smile across the table.

"Yeah, we'll see each other all the time," Dean promised, no intention at all of breaking it. "We'll talk all the time. This isn't goodbye, kid. It's just 'see ya later'. Okay?"

Wren buried her nose in Miss Kitty's fur as she contemplated Dean's words. Her dad seemed like he was telling the truth. Deciding that she believed him, Wren lifted her head and agreed, "Okay."

Dean smiled, holding out his pinkie finger for Wren to wrap hers around and she did it with a smile, snuggling into his chest.

"Do you have to leave now?" she asked, disappointment clear in her voice, and though he wanted nothing more than to say that they could spend the day together first, he knew he couldn't delay meeting up with Sam for much longer. He needed to be there to protect his little brother, to be his backup. He had no doubt Parker was a formidable force, but he trusted no one else to look out for Sam the way he could.

Besides, it would only be delaying the inevitable. It would hurt the same now as it would five hours later.

"Yeah, I do, buddy," Dean said apologetically. "I'm sorry."

Wren shrugged, keeping her eyes downcast as she stroked Miss Kitty's fur for comfort. Dean had had to go to an allergist the second day he was in town because the cat's fur was making him sneeze non-stop, but it was worth the daily medication he had to take if it meant that Wren had a source of comfort when she was feeling down.

"It's okay, daddy," she sighed, forcing herself to understand despite her disappointment. "You have to be a superhero now."

Dean smiled at her, proud of her for taking it like a champ – and saddened that he seemed to be repeating the cycle he swore he'd never repeat when it came to his own kid. "Like Superman?" he bounced his knee a little, making her jiggle.

Wren laughed and shook her head. "No, Daddy, you're like Batman," she decided, choosing their favorite superhero cartoon to watch on TV as his alter ego.

"Yeah, I can live with that," he agreed.

Wren refused to leave his side, hopping up on his bed and watching him as he packed up. It would usually take him two minutes to pack, but he slowed down a little so that he could spend a little more time with her. Once he was done, Wren grabbed his lighter duffel and carried it all the way down to the parking lot at the back of the apartment building, helping to load it into Baby's trunk.

Lynnie had packed him up an entire Tupperware of sandwiches and another of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. "I would've made you pie, but I figured this would be easier to take on the road," she smiled, placing both Tupperware containers into the green cooler he kept in the backseat, stacked neatly next to the bottles of his favorite beer he kept stashed away in there. "I also snuck in a few bottles of water in there, in case you need to hydrate with something non-alcoholic once in a while."

He rolled his eyes but pulled her in for a hug, feeling a swell of affection and gratitude for the woman who'd given him everything he'd wanted out of life, short of his mother being alive and his dad less haunted.

"Thanks, Lynn," he pressed a kiss to her forehead as he pulled away. "I'll call once I reach Saginaw."

Smiling, she nodded and squeezed his hands once more before letting go. Dean crouched down in front of Wren, placing his hands on her shoulders. "You be good for your mom, you hear?" he asked gruffly, and she nodded. "I'm gonna be on the road for a few days so I'm not gonna be able to see you, but maybe once I meet up with Uncle Sam, you and your mom can come by for a little bit, okay?"

Wren nodded. "Okay, daddy," she whispered, big, doleful green eyes staring up at him with cautious hope.

"I love you, Warren," he pulled her in for a hug, squeezing her tight. "I'm gonna miss you."

"I love you, too, daddy," she patted his back consolingly, wrapping thin arms around his neck and holding on for dear life.

Taking a deep breath, Dean pulled away from their hug, knowing he had to get moving. If he didn't force himself to take that first step, he'd never leave.

Unfortunately, Wren was having a little trouble letting go. She kept her arms tightly locked around his neck as he stood up. Dean chuckled, wrapping an arm around her to keep her steady, and patted her on the back.

"C'mon, it'll be okay," he whispered, handing her off to Lynnie. Wren wanted nothing more than to hang onto her dad, but she knew he had to go save people from the bad guys. Reluctantly, she shifted her hold onto her mom, wrapping her arms and legs around the woman, and snuggled her head into the crook of her mother's neck, eyes watching her father diligently.

"I'll see you soon, buddy," Dean promised, pressing a kiss onto Wren's forehead. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath of her kids' shampoo, and committing her to memory. Pulling back, his eyes slid from his beautiful daughter to her equally gorgeous mother. Nodding at them, he turned to Baby and slid in the driver's seat.

Lynnie and Wren stood together, watching Dean drive away in the Impala. It felt like it was just yesterday that she was doing this, saying goodbye again and again each time he had to leave town. It felt like she was slipping back into that same role, back in that same cycle, just as easily as though it had been yesterday. This time, though, she had a sad little girl clinging to her, watching the Impala disappear into the horizon with wet eyes and sticky lashes.

"C'mon, honey," she bounced her baby girl slightly, smiling when Wren giggled, rubbing her damp nose against Lynnie's shoulder. "How about we make some hot cocoa and watch some Scooby-Doo?"

Wren sighed. Scooby-Doo has always been her favorite cartoon, but now it would just make her sad because it reminded her of her dad. He loved Scooby, too. But looking at her mom's smiling, hopeful face, Wren knew she couldn't say no and make her mom sad, too.

"Okay, mommy," she agreed easily, wondering if her dad was going to call her before bedtime to say goodnight.

***********************************************************************

Dean sighed as he and Sam worked out possible theories regarding the mysterious deaths in the Miller family. Running a hand over his tired face, Dean pondered the possibility of a family curse on the Millers, as Sam had pointed out.

"Hey, you think Max is in danger?" Sam asked.

Dean shrugged, "Let's figure it out before he is."

Sam huffed out a laugh, shaking his head. "Well, I know one thing I have in common with these people," he said.

"What's that?" Dean wondered. If there was anything he'd learned by investigating the Millers was that there was nothing at all connecting them and Sam.

Sam looked at his brother as though he should have come to the same conclusion Sam had a long time ago. "Both our families are cursed," he pointed out.

Dean scrunched his face up in confusion. "Our family's not cursed!" he protested, huffing a little in disbelief. "We just…Had our dark spots."

Sam chuckled a little at Dean's denial. "Our 'dark spots' are…pretty dark," he reminded Dean.

Scowling a little, Dean couldn't help but mutter childishly, "You're…dark."

Before either brother could say anything more, a swirl of white and blue lights appeared in the middle of the room. They disappeared only to reveal Wren standing there, pajamas on and her favorite teddy bear clutched in her arms.

Dean jumped up from his seat, rushing over to his little girl.

"Wren!" he landed on his knees in front of her. "What are you doing here? What happened?"

"You didn't call me for bedtime story," she said, sounding almost accusing.

Dean sighed in relief, his racing heart attempting to slow down from the shock it had just received.

"You orbed all the way here cuz I didn't call you for story-time?" he asked, amused and a little surprised at himself.

Dean had called her at eight o'clock every night since he'd left San Francisco, right on the dot. She was usually already dressed in her pajamas, sitting up in bed, waiting anxiously for him to call so that he could read to her. Lynnie had tucked the book he'd been reading to Wren before the job had called him away into his duffel, and he'd continued reading a chapter a night over the phone since he left. Wren would even get a song or two out of him before she would fall asleep, her light snores and Lynnie quietly thanking him, telling him to be safe, ending the call.

Tonight had been the first night he'd forgotten to call – they'd had to rush to Roger Miller's house after Sam's vision to try and save him, and when that hadn't worked, he'd been too damn tired and confused to remember.

The overwhelming surge of guilt he felt stabbed him in the gut worse than any wound he'd ever gotten. He'd forgotten his own daughter. He didn't think he was even capable of such a thing, but here they were, an anxious five-year-old standing in the middle of his crappy motel room, wondering what went wrong.

"I'm so sorry, bud," he hugged her, running a hand through her soft hair. "Uncle Sam and I had a lot of work to do…I won't forget tomorrow, okay?"

He'd love to promise her that he'd never forget ever again, but God, there'd be nights just like this one. He wondered, now more than ever, if this was what his own dad had felt whenever he'd had to leave him and Sam behind. If every single day he was gone he didn't think about dropping his sons off at school or hearing them bitch and moan at each other or even getting breakfast together in the mornings. If every night wasn't torture when he couldn't be there to tuck them in and make sure they were safe and sound in their own beds.

"Okay," Wren accepted easily. "Is the bad guy gone?"

Dean smiled, shaking his head. "Don't you worry about that," he peered into her curious green eyes. "Does your mom know you're here?" At Wren's head shake and sly smile, Dean chuckled. "Yeah, she's gonna kill me for this."

"Don't worry, I'll protect you," Wren assured him.

Hoisting her up into his arms as he stood, Dean called out for his daughter's mom. "Lynnie! Lynnie, you there?"

Another swirl of white and blue lights appeared in front of him, revealing the form of his ex-girlfriend, dressed in sushi pajamas and braided pigtails. For some odd reason he wasn't willing to look too deep into, the sight of her like that gave him the same reaction to the memory of her in lingerie. God, he was in trouble with her. As always.

"Dean? What're you…?" Lynnie trailed off, catching sight of her mischievous daughter bundled up in her father's arms. "Warren Piper-Mary Winchester Halliwell! What in God's name are you doing here?"

Wren stared balefully at her mother, lips forming a pout Lynnie was all too familiar with. "I missed daddy," she said pitifully, hoping that her cuteness would get her out of trouble.

"You are meant to be in bed, young lady," Lynnie placed her hands on her hips as she glared at her little girl. "And what have we said about orbing somewhere without letting mommy know?"

"I don't know. I wasn't listening," Wren answered cheekily.

"Warren," Lynnie said threateningly.

"Okay, alright," Dean stepped in, unable to stop the grin forming on his lips. Lynnie glared at him, trying her best to ignore Sam chuckling in the background, sure that Wren's cheekiness was an inherited trait from him. "How 'bout this, buddy? How 'bout mommy orbs us all back home and I'll read to you? Okay?"

Wren pouted a little. "Why can't you read to me here?" she wondered. "Is this your new home, daddy?"

Dean raised his eyebrows. "You want me to read to you here? Why? Sam and I barely want to be here ourselves," he joked. "Nah, your bed's much better. All soft and bouncy. It's got Wonder Woman pillows…And Miss Kitty. Can't forget about her."

Wren pursed her lips as she thought about it. It was true – she did love her room a lot, and her bed was very comfy and she wouldn't want Miss Kitty to miss out on story-time. Boy, daddy was a smart cookie.

"Okay, let's read at home," she agreed.

Dean held onto Wren as Lynnie stepped closer, their fingers touching as she reached out to grasp his hand.

"I'll be back soon, Sammy," Dean promised. "Just stay here – don't go doing anything stupid until I get back."

Sam rolled his eyes, but couldn't help smiling as he wished the little girl good night. "Sweet dreams, Wren," he called out.

"Sleep tight, Uncle Sammy," she replied sweetly. "Don't let the bed bugs bite."

Sam smiled, watching as Dean, Lynnie and Wren disappeared in a swirl of heavenly lights. Sighing a little to himself and eyeing the double beds across from where he was seated at the wobbly table by the window, Sam grimaced. "Wouldn't put it past this place to actually have bed bugs," he muttered to himself.

His eyes slid back to the empty space where Dean, Lynnie and Wren had just been standing in mere moments ago. He blinked once and, in their place, Jess appeared, a little girl with wild, curly blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes cradled in her arms. Jess wore that gorgeous smile Sam missed so much, and her eyes twinkled as she asked him, "Coming, daddy? This little one won't sleep without a kiss and a hug."

Sam exhaled harshly, feeling like he'd been punched in the gut with a concrete fist, and watched as Jess and the boy evaporated into thin air, his dream disappearing along with them.

Lowering his gaze to his almost empty cup of coffee, Sam rubbed a hand over tired eyes. Despite his constant heartbreak about Jess, Sam was glad that Lynnie and Wren were a part of Dean's life. His brother wore that tough exterior like a second skin, but Sam had always known Dean was meant to be a family man. He'd been a better father to Sam than John Winchester had ever been, and with Dean and Lynnie having been so intertwined in each other's lives, Sam had been waiting for the not-so-surprising news of a Halliwell-Winchester spawn since his brother lost his virginity to Melinda Halliwell.

Seeing Dean with Wren had only solidified Sam's belief that Dean was meant to be a dad. He was glad that Wren existed, and he hoped that she would be the catalyst to getting Dean and Lynnie back together. All the crap they'd ever been through seemed like nothing when Dean had Lynnie in his corner. He wanted that for his brother again. It was something he never should've been deprived of in the first place if it hadn't been for their dad's slightly insane view on life.

Sighing deeply, Sam got back to researching possible theories on the mysterious deaths surrounding the Miller family.

***************************************************************8

** _April 2006_ **   
** _San Francisco, California_ **

"Okay, here we go," Dean said as he sat on the edge of Wren's bed, tucking the soft blanket around the girl. "All nice and snug."

Wren smiled sleepily, curling her arms around Miss Kitty as she laid on her side. She kept her eyes fixed on her dad, watching as he picked up her copy of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, flipping to the page they'd stopped at last on memory alone.

"You ready, kid?" he asked, and she nodded excitedly.

Dean started to read, but stopped, hesitating as he caught sight of Lynnie hovering at the doorway, a worried frown on her lips. Setting the book aside for a moment, Dean patted Wren's side gently over the blanket.

"Listen, buddy, we gotta talk about this whole orbing thing," he said, peering into identical green eyes. Wren frowned, lips pulled into a pout at his serious tone. "You know I miss you when I'm not here, and I'll try my best to call every night for story-time…But if I don't call, it's going to be because I'm chasing after a bad guy."

Wren's wide eyes were trained on him as he spoke, remorse making her wriggle uncomfortably in her bed. "I'm sorry I orbed to you," she whispered.

"Hey, no, I wanted to see you, too," Dean assured her, leaning down to press a kiss to her nose, making her giggle a little. "I just don't want you to get hurt. So, how about you, me and mommy make a promise?"

Wren grinned as her mother climbed into her bed next to her, snuggling up together while her dad adjusted the blankets to cover them both. "What kind of promise?" she wondered, curious.

"How about we promise to…visit each other at least once a week?" he threw out there.

Though he wanted more than that, he knew without a doubt in his broken heart that there was no way he could guarantee a schedule free enough to visit every single day, even with the help of magical teleportation. He and Sam worked long hours when they're working an active case, and any free time they had in between pretending to be fake feds slash priests slash frat brothers and chasing down the monster-of-the-week was spent catching up on their regular four hours and driving to the next destination.

It was a hard life – one that was chosen for him when he was a kid, and one that he'd chosen for himself when he was old enough to do so. He'd had moments of regret whenever he'd had to separate from Lynnie when they were younger, but nothing as profound as the regret he had now, looking into sad green eyes. Even so, there was nothing he could do to just stop being who he was.

"I promise, whenever it's safe, we'll see each other. Okay? Either I'll come back here or mommy will orb you to me," Dean promised. "But you gotta promise me you won't just orb in like that. 'cuz sometimes you might orb in when there's a bad guy around, and if anything happens to you, it would kill daddy."

"And mommy," Lynnie piped up, running her hand through Wren's soft hair.

Wren bit her lip, contemplating her dad's words. It didn't seem like a bad promise. She didn't want anything to kill her dad, especially something to do with her. And she knew both her parents would be upset if she got hurt because that's how she would feel if they got hurt.

"Will you still call every night for story-time?" she wanted to confirm.

"Every single night that I can," Dean assured her. "But if daddy doesn't call, it just means that he and Uncle Sam are catching bad guys. So you're gonna have to be patient, Wren. Can you do that? If daddy doesn't call, you'll wait until the bad guys are all gone and daddy gets to call you?"

Wren sighed. This part was a little trickier. She didn't like waiting. And she could reach anywhere in the span of seconds. Why did she have to wait? Every single time her mommy told her to wait for something, she could never tell Wren a good reason why she had to wait, but she guessed daddy's reason was a good one.

"Okay," she reluctantly agreed.

"Okay?" Dean prompted, peering into Wren's eyes. "You promise? You'll wait for me to call? You'll wait until I say it's okay to orb in?"

Wren nodded. "Yeah – but if you miss story-time, I get two chapters and a song," she bargained.

Dean's lips quirked upwards at her craftiness.

"Deal," he shook pinkies with her (he'd lost count how many 'pinkie swears' he'd gone through since meeting Wren, but he'd lay down his life to follow through on each and every one of his pinkie promises to her).

"Okay, nothing left to do here, I guess," Dean said, fluffing up her comforter and gently shaking Miss Kitty's tail. "You and Mommy all snug like a bug in a rug. Kitty's tail wagged. Everyone's brushed their teeth..?"

He narrowed his eyes at Wren playfully and received an open-mouthed giggle as she showed off her minty fresh pearly whites.

"Guess there's nothing left to do but say goodnight and go to sleep," he shrugged, reaching forward to turn off the lamp on her bedside table.

"No! Daddy!" Wren protested, unable to stop chuckling at the befuddled expression on her dad's face. "My bedtime story!"

Dean gasped dramatically, snapping his fingers. "Right! I knew I forgot something!" he said, lifting the book from where he'd place it on top of the comforter right next to him earlier.

Lynnie smiled fondly as she watched father and daughter interact, pressing her cheek to the top of her baby girl's head.

"Where did we stop…?" Dean pretended to fumble, Wren sighing exaggeratedly as she reached out to help him flip to the right page. "Ah! Right! Something about…some dementoids and Cyrus White."

"Dementors and Sirius Black!" Wren corrected, unable to decide if she was amused or irritated.

Dean winked at Lynnie, making her hide her smile in Wren's hair, and started to read. The little girl fought her drooping eyelids as she insisted on two chapters and a song. She fell asleep during the second verse of Beautiful Boy, and Dean leaned down to lightly brush a kiss on her forehead.

"Night, buddy," he whispered, smiling when Wren snored in response, too tuckered out.

Dean and Lynnie quietly slipped out of Wren's room. They kept the nightlight on and left the door open a crack, just the way Wren preferred it.

Lynnie took Dean by the hand and led him out into the living room, far enough away that Wren's sleep wouldn't be disturbed by the sound of their voices. Even so, she kept her voice soft and low.

"Thanks for taking the time to do that," she smiled, wrapping her arms around herself as she faced Dean. "I'm so sorry that she interrupted you in the middle of a hunt."

"Nah, it's fine," he waved off her apology. "We were just gonna get our regular four hours when she orbed in, anyway. Nothing else to do until the sun comes up."

Lynnie bit her lip, eyeing him speculatively. He seemed like he meant his words, which made her feel so thankful that he was Wren's dad. Her little hellion was a handful most of the time. It took a lot of patience. Dean might be grouchy with grown-ups, but he was wonderful with kids.

"How's it going in Saginaw?" she wondered.

Dean sighed, shaking his head. "Well, it's definitely…Something," he frowned, worried about his brother's visions. "We haven't really figured it out yet. We just keep losing people, and it's taking a toll on Sam. I can see that it is."

Lynnie pouted sympathetically. "Do you want me and Parker to help?" she offered. "Maybe having some White witches in your corner can do you some good?"

He smirked at her, grateful and shy at the same time. "Oh, I know it can. But we can't just keep relying on your help," he declined. "Not for a case that we can still handle ourselves, y'know? But thanks, Lynn."

She shrugged slightly, dismissing his words. Helping innocents was what she had been raised to do. Hunters counted – especially Winchesters. Especially Dean, her mind taunted, sounding suspiciously like Parker. Lynnie took a deep breath, pushing that thought down.

"Well, uh, I should orb you back," Lynnie said, stepping closer. "You should get some rest before you and Sam continue on your hunt."

"Yeah," Dean slid his hands up her arms and rested them on her shoulder. He suppressed a smile when he felt her shiver, her eyes getting heavy as she looked at him. Stepping even closer to her, he moved until there was only a sliver of space between them. "I guess I should head back."

Her mind was growing fuzzy, the way it had always done with Dean around, so Lynnie wordlessly orbed them back to the motel room Dean had called her to earlier. Sam was already splayed on top of one of the beds, arms and legs spread out like a starfish, snoring loudly into his pillow.

"Well, goodnight, Dean," Lynnie whispered, not wanting to wake the younger Winchester brother.

Dean leaned down a little to press his lips to Lynnie's warm cheek, watching with a barely suppressed smile as a blush bloomed on her cheeks at the touch. He wanted, more than anything, for Lynnie to give him a second chance. It felt wrong that they were still apart, given what they'd found out about their breakup. He knew she was out of his league – she'd always been – but Lynnie deserved better than some preppy-looking goody-two-shoes like Logan.

"Goodnight," he whispered back, voice rough and low.

Tamping down a shiver at the timbre of his voice, Lynnie orbed out without another word, reappearing in her own bedroom seconds later. She sank down on the edge of her bed, leaning her forearms on her thighs and pressing her hands to her overheated cheeks. It was completely unfair that Dean had the power to turn her back to a mushy teenager, in love with the boy she'd dreamt of forever. Taking in a deep breath, Lynnie tried to calm her racing heart. Her mind kept flashing back to his eyes and that voice and the way his large hands had felt on her shoulders. Her heart kept tempting her to orb back to Dean and kiss him, get back the years that had been stolen from them.

Shaking her head, Lynnie kicked off her shoes and shrugged off the cardigan she'd thrown over her tank top when Dean had called out for her. Sliding underneath the covers, Lynnie closed her eyes and attempted to get comfortable, praying that she'd quickly fall into a dreamless sleep.

Her mind had other ideas and Lynnie was quickly pulled into a dream about her prom night with Dean, her lips pulling into a smile even in sleep as she dreamt of him twirling her around, warning her that he was only going to do 'the dance thing' once, having been secretly taught by Phoebe for the purpose of Lynnie's prom.

"I can't believe you learned to dance for me," her dream self said, pressed close to Dean as they swayed to a slow song she vaguely remembered them dancing to at the prom.

"I only wanna make you happy, Lynnie," Dean replied, the dream so vivid that Lynnie could smell his familiar cologne all around her.

She had no right to him in real life, not now when Logan was in the picture, but in her dreams, she pulled herself closer, felt his hand cup her cheek, fingers sliding into her hair. In her dreams, her cravings for his kisses got her to bring his head down, pressing her lips against his, her heart racing, her skin on fire.

In her dreams, she could still tell him the absolute truth, "I love you, Dean."

**********************************************************************

** _April 2006_ **   
** _Saginaw, Michigan_ **

Sam and Dean left Mrs. Miller in the house with the cops. The story she was telling, confusing as it was, was tragic enough that the cops seemed to believe her. Another job done, another town to leave behind.

"Well, I'll tell you one thing," Sam sighed as he tried to move past the guilt at not being able to help Max the way he'd so very badly wanted to. "We're lucky we had Dad."

That stopped Dean short. He stared at Sam, stunned. "Well, I never thought I'd hear you say that," he admitted, shaking his head slightly.

Sam shrugged. "Well, it could've gone a whole other way after Mom," he could see that now. "A little more tequila and little less demon hunting…And we would've had Max's childhood." Contemplating the entirely different horror show that would've been, Sam admitted, "All things considered, we turned out okay. Thanks to him."

Dean sniffed, keeping his eyes on the hood of the Impala. Nodding, he twirled the keys to Baby around his fingers, "All things considered."

Sam felt his eyebrows jump at Dean's words. While his brother had been a staunch defender for John Winchester his whole life, Sam knew that John's actions to separate Dean and Lynnie and keep Wren's existence a secret from him had taken a heavy toll on Dean. While he was still loyal to their Dad, still the soldier he'd been raised to be, Dean had been angry and disillusioned by John's actions.

"Does this mean you forgive him?" he wondered aloud.

Dean shot Sam a look, unable to answer a question he hadn't figured out the answer to yet. "Just…Get in," he shook his head, annoyed.

Dean wondered if he could get Sam to haul ass to Vegas for some R&R before they inevitably caught their next case. Or, maybe, they should just head back to San Francisco. He missed Wren and Lynnie like crazy. He adjusted his mirror as he started up Baby's engine, headed back out on the open road. Catching sight of the empty car seat in the backseat, Dean decided to stop at the nearest rest stop so he could call Wren, craving to hear her voice again.

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**We're here for the final stretch, guys. How was the final premiere for SPN? I haven't been able to watch it yet – gonna watch it tomorrow with a cheeseburger and a slice of pie to comfort me, and wearing SPN merch to make me feel better. No spoilers, okay?**

**Hope everyone's doing alright. SPN Family will always be there for each other, let's remember that.**

**Thank you so much for everyone who reviewed this story. Please do leave a review for this chapter and let me know what you think.**

**Lots of love,**

**Lorelai.**


	8. I’ve Been Travelling, Roaming (There’s No Place Like You)

**Chapter 8: I’ve Been Travelling, Roaming (There’s No Place Like You)**

**A/N:** The chapter title comes from the song No Place Like You by Joy Williams.

**Disclaimer:** I don’t own anything Supernatural or Charmed related.

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** _21st Jan 2000_ **  
_ **Morgan Valley, Georgia** _

“Close your eyes,” Lynnie giggled, holding onto Dean by the waist as they stumbled through the door of the rustic cabin.

“Close my eyes? I drove us up here, it’s not a surprise,” Dean reminded her wryly.

“But you haven’t seen the inside yet!” she protested. “That part’s a surprise! Close your eyes!”

“They’re closed!” he couldn’t help the smile spreading across his lips at the sound of her laughter – her joy was infectious. “What? They are!”

Her hand came up to cover his eyes, blanketing his sight in darkness. “I don’t believe you,” she teased, leading him further inside until they were in the middle of the high-vaulted living room. Using just a tiny bit of her magic for some non-parental-approved personal gain, Lynnie turned on the gas for the fireplace and lit it up, enveloping the room in a warm orange hue. “Okay, ready?”

Dean rolled his eyes as she finally lifted her hand from his face. Looking around, he whistled appreciatively.

They usually spent his birthdays with a homemade pie and a Piper Halliwell dinner. Ever since puberty hit and the two of them had gotten to a more-than-friends stage, Dean and Lynnie would spend some alone time together after his birthday dinner.

This year, for his twenty-first birthday, Lynnie had wanted to take him to Vegas to have an all-out bash, complete with strippers, a party bus and quite possibly the worst hangover of his life. Unfortunately, she had three papers to turn in by the end of next week and two exams to study for. A party in Vegas was just not in the cards for his birthday.

He’d waved away her apologies, promising her that he would be the one to take her to Vegas for her twenty-first birthday, coming up in a few months. Held in March, her birthday was smack dab in the middle of spring break. Vegas would be no problem at all.

While a party in Sin City was out of the question for now, a secluded lakefront cabin was not.

It belonged to Lynnie’s Uncle Henry – his parents had willed it to him when they’d passed – but he rarely used it. It wasn’t luxurious or extravagant in any way, but no one could deny the romantic air surrounding the place. The driveway had been lined with bushes and shrubs covered in colorful flowers, blooming even in January. What they could see of the side and back of the cabin was an amazing view – pebbled shores, a thick green forest reaching for the skies and a crystal-clear lake in between.

It was a log cabin, rustic and beautiful, with a green colored roof, a chimney, large glass windows that were almost floor to ceiling and a spiral staircase leading up to a Romeo-and-Juliet style balcony to complete the look. Dean had threatened to carry her inside like a bride for getting him somewhere so romantic.

“Bring it, Winchester,” Lynnie had shot back, a soft smile that he’d loved lighting her face.

The interior of the cabin was just as impressive – high, vaulted ceilings, huge stone fireplace, cozy looking rugs…The view from the wall of windows of the setting sun disappearing into the lake was breathtaking.

“God, what a view,” Lynnie smiled, resting her head on Dean’s chest as he looked out into the amber sky.

“Tell me about it,” he agreed, eyes locked only on her.

Hearing the heavy weight in his tone, Lynnie lifted her head up slightly to look into his eyes, meeting his meaningful gaze. At the soft look in his eyes, Lynnie smiled, teasing, “You’re being real chick flick-y right now. You sure you’re okay?”

“Shut up,” he reprimanded softly, bringing his head down to brush his lips against hers.

Lynnie lifted a hand to place it against Dean’s cheek, her thumb gently caressing the stubble starting to grow there. Dean could feel his heart thumping against his chest, rapid and ringing loud in his ears. She felt like home, wrapping him up in warm comfort and making him feel so loved. He didn’t deserve her – he knew he didn’t – but while she was still content slumming it up with him, he’d treat her like a goddamn queen.

Without breaking their kiss, Dean wrapped his arms around Lynnie’s waist and lifted her up. She grinned against his lips, arms around his neck and legs around his waist. He carried her a few feet to the left, dropping to his knees on the thick shag rug in front of the fireplace. Cradling her beneath him, Dean’s hands wandered beneath her shirt. Lynnie grew impatient with his slow touch, wanting more now, and hurriedly helped him to get herself of her jacket and scarf. She moaned as his lips fell to her neck, feeling overheated in her long-sleeved top. She almost sighed in relief when he dragged the shirt over her head, uncaring as he flung it to the side. The scrape of his jacket zipper against her bare skin made her shiver, and she reached her arms out to hurriedly rid him of his clothes, too, giggling against his lips as he helped her along while stubbornly refusing to break their kiss, their task made just slightly more difficult by it.

The rug was the softest surface they had ever had sex on and, tired and sated after three rounds with him, Lynnie curled up on her side on it, refusing to move.

“We’re just gonna sleep here tonight?” Dean asked, raising an eyebrow as she rested her head on his bicep, legs tangling with his.

“Mm-hmm,” Lynnie sighed contentedly, orbing the throw draped over the back of the couch a few feet away over to where they were, having it materialize right on top of them.

Dean chuckled, gripping one edge of the throw and adjusting it so that it covered them both well enough. His stomach grumbled a little – they’d stopped for dinner in town once they’d reached it before making the rest of the way up to the cabin. There had been burgers, fries and two slices of the most amazing cinnamon pie he’d ever had, but that had been hours ago, and all of his energy had been sapped by Lynnie’s yoga-worthy moves since.

Resolving to only nap for a while before getting up to get some sustenance despite how late it was, Dean closed his eyes and dreamed of cheeseburgers.  
Þ  
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Their first full day in Morgan Valley was incredible.

Dean and Lynnie went for brunch (Dean secretly thought it was the best thing ever – a never-ending buffet of breakfast and lunch food sounded like heaven to him. And the Bellini’s Lynnie had insisted he tried were weirdly awesome) and went around town to do a little shopping. Lynnie had surprised Dean when they’d checked out the local dive bar. They’d drunk a lot of shots, played a little pool and taken home the Cartwright twins (and, _man_, it had been a wild ride for sure).

It had been a blast and a half and Dean loved every minute of it. He wouldn’t change a damn thing about their crazy night out, but it was Dean’s birthday weekend and she insisted on him deciding what they did. So he decided on what he wanted most – Lynnie.

It had surprised him, too, when he asked for them to be secluded away in the cabin for the rest of their long weekend, wanting nothing more than to be tucked away in each other’s arms, safely hidden from the rest of the world.

The cabin had a hot tub in a room that was made up of ninety-percent windows. It made them feel like they were just seconds away from being caught in it. Hearts racing the entire time they were in there, Lynnie rolled her eyes good-naturedly, smiling as she complied with Dean’s ‘hot tub is for skinny dipping only’ rule, shimmying out of her bikini and leaving them next to the tub.

Giving him what he wanted, Lynnie spent the rest of their weekend with Dean in bed, wrapped up in a warm cocoon of blankets and sex. The longest time she spent out of his arms was in the morning of the 24th. She had woken up early, barely able to catch a wink. She didn’t want to miss out on the chance to surprise him. She would’ve set an alarm, but she didn’t want Dean to wake up until she was ready for him to.

Lynnie shifted her head where it rested on Dean’s chest, watching as he slept. He looked so peaceful, all his troubles swept aside for the few short hours he could rest. She loved watching him sleep. It was a weird kink, but one she couldn’t help. He never looked so happy and peaceful when he was awake. It was an addictive sight, his lips curved into a serene smile, the lines on his face smoothed out…She wanted that for him always.

Her fingers twitched, itching to reach out and rub her thumb against his cheekbone, but she knew without a doubt that it would wake him. Resisting the urge to press a kiss to his chest, she tried to move as little and as quietly as possible as she snuck out of bed.

They’d gone to the grocery store when they’d been out and about in town and she’d stocked up on a few things. She whipped up a chocolate pie and set it in the oven, cooking up breakfast while it baked. She made bacon waffles, warmed up some maple syrup (because he secretly loved having it warmed), scrambled up some eggs, fried up some sausage, poured him a mug of hot coffee (black with a ton of sugar, just the way he liked it) and popped open a cold bottle of his favorite beer.

Setting the pie to cool, Lynnie carried the tray of breakfast back to the bedroom, carefully balancing the heavy load as she gently nudged the door a little wider so she could slip through without jostling the tray too much. She set the tray on the bedside table and climbed back into bed, straddling Dean with her folded legs on either side of his hips.

Feeling her familiar weight settle on top of him, Dean smiled sleepily, his eyes blinking open slowly as he came to. Lynnie grinned, leaning down with her arms pressed to his chest, her hair blanketing around their faces as she brushed her nose against his. His large, warm hands slid up her bare thighs, slipping underneath his shirt she’d appropriated before getting to work on his birthday breakfast.

“Morning, birthday boy,” she greeted, thumbs caressing his cheeks as he kissed her slow and deep.

“Morning,” he rumbled, voice low and gruff as it always was in the mornings. “Is it my birthday already?”

“Mm-hmm,” she peppered his face with tiny kisses, fingers toying with his hair, scratching at his scalp.

Resisting the urge to purr, Dean arched his back a little as he stretched, peering at her with one eye open and an excited smile on his face. “Do I smell bacon?” he asked eagerly.

“Made you breakfast,” she nodded to the spread, loving the way his eyes lit up at the sight. She climbed off of him, folding her legs as she carefully brought the tray over, balancing it on the bed in front of her as Dean sat up, eagerly reaching for the hot coffee.

“Mm,” he moaned, closing his eyes as he downed the elixir, hot enough to wake him up, but not hot enough to scald his tongue and throat as he tossed it back like a shot. “God, I needed that…” his eyes dropped to the feast in front of him, bulging at the sight of the waffles. “Waffles! And…is that bacon in it?”

“Mm-hmm,” she grinned. “Thought you might like that.”

“Baby, you’re the best,” he told her fervently, gripping her face in both hands to press a rough, loving kiss to her lips.

She chuckled, feeling warm all over, and snuggled to his side, accepting the bites of waffles and eggs he fed her. She watched him, eyes bright and happy, cheeks bulging from the food he almost chipmunked as he ate, smile permanently on his lips. She wanted that sight for always.

“What are we doing today?” Lynnie asked as he polished off the last of the breakfast.

“Well,” Dean placed the emptied tray on the side table, leaning back against the headboard and wrapping his arms around Lynnie so that she would lie snuggled up to his side. “I kinda wanna just…Spend today in bed.”

Lynnie shook her head at him. “We spent all of yesterday in bed,” she reminded him, rolling her eyes when she felt his hands start to wander down her back. “Didn’t you get enough?”

“No such thing,” he chided, voice soft and gravelly as he leaned in for a kiss, tasting of maple syrup and OJ.

“Don’t you want to do something for your birthday?”

“Yeah, I really do,” the look he gave her was wicked as he rolled her over onto her back, nuzzling the soft skin between her breasts as he descended down her body.

“Dean, that’s not what I…” she trailed off on a breathy moan, hand pressed to her eyes as he gripped her thighs and folded her knees up to her chest, his lips between her legs.

The birthday boy got what the birthday boy wanted – they spent most of the day in bed together, rolling around in the sheets in forty different positions. She was feeling sore and a little dehydrated by mid-afternoon so he ordered up pizza and made a bath, soaking with her while they waited. He was just coming down from another high when the bell rang.

Lynnie groaned, dropping her forehead to his shoulder, legs tightening around his waist for a moment as the water sloshed around them. “I can’t move,” she mumbled. “My legs are jelly.”

He grinned. “You’re welcome,” he said cockily.

Lynnie lifted her head to glare playfully at him. “Shut up,” she scowled jokingly.

“Be nice – it’s my birthday,” he reminded her, bringing one palm down to her ass in a playful smack. She moaned, jerking in his lap, oversensitive. “I’ll go get it. You just relax, okay?”

For some odd reason Lynnie couldn’t explain, even eating pizza turned erotic and she cursed him as she washed pizza sauce from her body, an unbidden smile coming to her lips as she remembered how it got there in the first place. He was an insatiable sort of fella, and sore as she was, she felt lucky to call him hers.

Despite their laidback day, Dean had something pretty spectacular in mind for their last dinner of their long weekend.

Parker, his helpful assistant, Beamed to him as he called out for her while Lynnie was in the shower.

“Is everything all set?” he asked in a whisper, keeping one eye on the stairs in case Lynnie was done early with her shower.

“Yup,” she thrust a garment bag at him. “Here. Put this on. I’m gonna put her dress on the bed.”

Dean frowned as he took the bag from her. “What’s this?”

Parker levelled him with a stern look. “You are _not_ doing this dressed in flannel,” she reprimanded him. “Go. Change. Be impressive.”

He grinned, leaning in to press a kiss to her cheek. “Thanks, Parker,” he said genuinely.

Despite herself, despite having known him for most of her life, Parker couldn’t help but be charmed by him. Blushing slightly, she shoved him a little to get him moving, silently creeping up the stairs to the bedroom. She could still hear water running, smelling the familiar body wash Lynnie always used wafting from the partially closed bathroom door.

She placed the dress she’d picked out from Lynnie’s closet – new from a shopping spree they’d gone to together just recently, and utterly fabulous – on the bed, putting the post-it note she’d scribbled on before she’d left home earlier on top of it. Accessories and shoes to match strategically placed, Parked Beamed out of the room just as the shower turned off.

Lynnie stepped out of the shower, drying off. She caught her reflection in the bathroom mirror as she brushed her teeth, eyes falling to the purple bruises on her skin, a memento of Dean’s vigorous lovemaking earlier, and a smile spread across her lips, a blush warming her from the inside. Towel wrapped around her body to fight off the chill, Lynnie stepped into the bedroom only for her eyes to fall on the dress on the bed.

She frowned, stepping closer to the bed. She recognized the dress – she’d bought it just a week ago during an impromptu shopping trip with Parker, and she’d never worn it before. It was beautiful, green and flowy and hugging her curves in all the right ways. It was backless and sexy – she’d been a little reluctant to get it, but Parker had insisted. Lynnie hadn’t planned on wearing it anytime soon. She knew for a fact she hadn’t packed it for a weekend spent in a cabin…What was it doing here?

Catching sight of a yellow post-it note on top of the dress, Lynnie reached for it, recognizing Parker’s handwriting scribbled on it.

“Wear this. You’ll thank me later.”

Rolling her eyes, Lynnie contemplated just going downstairs in one of Dean’s shirts but she’d spent her entire life not going against the word of true psychics. Why start now?

She put on the dress, earrings and shoes, all arranged by Parker most likely, curled her hair and put on a touch of subtle makeup. Making her way downstairs slowly, Lynnie looked around warily for her man.

“Dean?” she called out.

He came in from the kitchen, and she had to do a double take. He was dressed in a suit, different than the black ones he’d wear to pose as a government agent of some sort. This one was a deep blue, fitted to his frame. He was clean shaven where, just a few hours ago, his stubble had left the insides of her thighs a dark pink.

He was looking at her with beautiful green eyes blown wide open, pink lips forming an ‘O’ shape as he took her in, awe and love written so clearly on his face.

“You look beautiful,” tumbled from her lips, and he exhaled, a chuckle slipping loose.

“That’s my line,” he chided, striding forward to wrap her up in a hug. He twirled her around a little, feeling a little bit silly, a lot in love, and she giggled when he bent her backwards in an over-exaggerated dip, pressing his lips to hers in a dizzying kiss.

“Why are we all dressed up?” she asked once her head was somewhat clear again. “Not that I’m complaining…” Lynnie smoothed her hands down Dean’s chest, feeling the cool fabric beneath her fingers, the hard muscles underneath it rippling at her touch. “You look _good_, baby.”

Dean grinned, a little puffed up at the praise. He knew he was a good-looking guy, but no admiring gaze from any ole waitress in any ole diner could hold a handle to Lynnie thinking the same. She’d call him handsome, tell him he’d look good, and he’d still blush like he was twelve and it was their first date.

“Well, I’ve got a surprise all planned out in the back,” Dean told her, entwining his fingers with hers.

Lynnie lit up, though a guilty look crossed her face just then. “I’m supposed to be the one surprising you,” she murmured, looking at him from under her lashes. His heart fluttered wildly in his chest. “It’s your birthday today, after all.”

“You’ve been surprising me our whole lives together,” he said gently, leading her through the kitchen and out the back door. “I wanted to do this for you. For us.”

Lynnie’s eyes widened as she took in the sight of the backyard.

The cabin was seated on top of a hill overlooking a river. The backyard was basically just a stretch of greenery, a few feet from the edge of the hill. There was a huge oak tree planted at the edge of it, shading them from harsher weather. It was nighttime now and there was nothing but a cool breeze making the leaves sway gently, so Dean had hung fairy lights over the branches, lighting up the ground underneath perfectly. The space was illuminated enough for the two of them to enjoy the dinner he’d set out, with the help of Parker and a dinner prepared by Piper Beamed directly from San Francisco.

Dean led her to the table he’d set up while she was in the bathroom, pulling out a chair for her before making his way to the seat directly opposite her. Lynnie was still speechless, looking at the spread in front of her.

“Is this _champagne_!?” Lynnie asked, watching with wide eyes as he filled up two flutes full of the light yellowish liquid. “You don’t even _like_ champagne.”

“Special night,” he shrugged, a little bashful. “Special girl. Special drink.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, grinning shyly despite her suspicion. “Okay, what are you up to, Winchester?” she asked him, accepting the bubbly and taking a sip anyway. “Spill it.”

“I just wanna spoil my girl, that’s all,” he deflected. “Come on, let’s dig in. I’m starving. That pizza didn’t really fill me up.”

Lynnie rolled her eyes, a fond smile tugging at her lips as she watched him tuck into his Coq au Vin enthusiastically. There had never been a bigger fan of her mom’s cooking than Dean Winchester. She sometimes thought her mom used him as a guinea pig for new recipes, and he was really more than okay with that.

They ate their chicken, drank their champagne and had the most sinful lava cake she’d ever had in her life. Right after, he led her a few feet away from the table, bringing his arms around her so that they were snuggling under the twinkling fairy lights draped over the oak tree, curled up together on the picnic blanket he laid out. She had kicked off her heels, pretty as they were, so that she could get more comfortable.

“Are you happy?” Dean asked her, his voice barely a whisper, still afraid her answer would be ‘no’ or ‘it could be better’ or ‘I feel like I want more than you’.

He didn’t have to worry because Lynnie burrowed deeper into his chest, pulling his arms tighter around her, closing her eyes as she turned her head and pressed her nose into his chest, breathing in his cologne. “I’m the happiest I’ve ever been,” she admitted shyly.

Heart racing, Dean slid his hand in his pants’ pocket and pulled out a velvet box. Flicking the lid open, with his thumb, Dean turned the box so that Lynnie could see what was in it, presenting it to her.

“Do you wanna make me the happiest?” he asked quietly, gaze fixed on her as her eyes fluttered open, watching as her beautiful brown eyes widened, a gasp falling from her lips as she scrambled to sit up.

Her fingers were trembling as she pressed them to her lips. The box – and its incredible content – was starting to get blurry and she realized it was because her eyes were swimming with unshed tears, making her vision double. It was amazing, she felt, how such a tiny box could hold her whole future in it, contain her hopes and dreams, hers for the taking.

“Dean,” she whispered, lowering her hand to her chest, feeling her heartbeat fluttering unsteadily against her ribcage.

“Lynnie,” he said, voice just as low as hers as he balanced on the precipice of the future he’d dreamt of since he was thirteen years old. “I love you. I’ve loved you my whole life. And I know I’ll love you for _all_ my life. Will you love me for all of yours?”

Lynnie couldn’t speak, though she viciously blinked to get the tears out of her eyes so she could see Dean better. This was a pivotal moment in her life. And Dean looked…Well, she never wanted to forget what he looked like as he proposed to her, the love in his eyes, the expression on his face…The flecks of gold in his eyes…Everything. Everything she wanted burned into her memory.

“Lynnie, will you marry me?” Dean asked, and though they’d talked about marriage a few times, it was still the hardest question he’d ever asked anyone in his life. His heart was racing, but it felt so still at the same time, hanging by a thread as he waited for the answer that would change his life.

“Yes,” Lynnie replied, lifting her gaze to meet his. A single tear trickled down her cheek and Dean cupped her face in his hand, thumb brushing away the drop. His touch only propelled more tears to fall and he laughed with her, tearful and happy, tilting her face up with gentle pressure to her cheekbone so that he could kiss her. Lynnie’s eyes fluttered close, feeling a sense of serenity she’d never experienced before in her life. When he pulled away, her tongue still tasting of him and champagne, Lynnie murmured, “Yes, I will marry you.”

Dean grinned as he watched her transfer the promise ring he’d given her when they were sixteen from her left ring finger to her right, leaving it empty for the new ring he was giving her. With a shaky hand, he plucked the ring from its velvet home and slid it onto Lynnie’s finger.

The ring wasn’t an ostentatious one. It was a beautiful ring, vintage and pretty, with one big diamond in the center, held up by shoulders and (as he had been told by Eric) 52 smaller diamonds. He had found it in an antique shop in San Francisco – he’d accompanied Lynnie there to get an antique watch for Leo’s birthday. He hadn’t planned on being anything but bored and had wandered around the store while Lynnie talked to the shopkeeper. But then his eyes had landed on the ring and he knew that it was The Ring.

He’d dropped Lynnie back home and had raced back over to the shop. The owner was waiting for him, a serene smile on his face that would’ve been creepy if Dean hadn’t been in such a harried state.

“Knew you’d come back,” the owner had told him the moment he’d stepped through the doors. “The moment I saw you looking at it.”

“At what?” Dean had asked warily.

The owner had pulled out the ring, then, nestled in a velvet-lined box. “This, of course,” he replied. Dean’s heart had stopped for a moment. His gaze never left the ring, and in his mind’s eye, he’d pictured Lynnie wearing it, a smile on her face as he wrapped his arms around her, telling her family and Sammy they were getting married. “I assume you’ve come back for this?”

Dean sniffed, forcing his eyes back up to meet the shopkeeper’s gaze. “Yeah, uh, how much for it?”

It had been more expensive than he’d thought, and though Dean hadn’t expected him to say yes, the shopkeeper had agreed to keeping the ring on hold for him with only a small down payment to show for it.

Dean had been bewildered but the shopkeeper, Eric, had only smiled knowingly. “The ring belonged to my grandmother. I’m never going to marry or have children, so I want it to go to someone who deserves it,” Eric had said. “The way you looked at your girl just now? The way she looked at you? That’s rare. I’ve only ever seen it once. With my grandparents. So, I guess…I’ve just been waiting for the right person to sell this ring to. You’re it, kid.”

Dean wasn’t sure if he believed Eric, but the ring was beautiful and he could see Lynnie loving it, so he’d made the down payment and he’d hustled at pool every night he could for months, made easy by the fact that they were always on the road, with a new bar and new victims to make a fool out of practically every week.

Sammy was the only one Dean had trusted with his plan, kept a secret even from their dad. Sam had asked why Dean was saving up for cash when he’d never bothered with it before. But, for reasons he couldn’t really explain without it being too chick-flicky, this was the one thing in his life he couldn’t steal or use fake credit cards to pay for. He wanted to be able to pay for it all by himself, with his own hard-earned money. It took him three months of hustling pool to be able to afford it, but man, it had been worth it to walk back into Eric’s store and pay for that ring. He’d done all the necessary checks on the ring to ensure it was safe and curse-free, and he’d had to bring Parker in on the secret so that she could perform the spells to do just that. She’d even blessed the ring for good luck and prosperity, gleeful over the prospect of a Deannie wedding (their ‘ship name’, according to Parker, whatever the hell that meant).

And now, here they were, on his 21st birthday, with the woman he’d loved since before puberty hit just having agreed to be his wife, that ring on her finger…Man, he was terrified in the _best_ way possible.

Lynnie bit her lip, and even that wasn’t enough to stop the huge grin on her face. Wriggling her fingers slightly, her eyes watched the diamond sparkle, catching the reflection of the fairy lights above them. Settling back against Dean, her back to his chest with his arms around her, Lynnie held her hand up higher, her other hand bringing his arm closer still so that she could burrow into him for a snuggle.

“We’re getting married,” she murmured, her voice barely a whisper, in awe of her new reality. Dean smiled against her hair, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. With his arm draped across her collarbone, he could feel her heartbeat against his hand where it pressed over her chest, and he imagined his heart beating in tandem with hers.

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** _April 2006_ ** **  
** _Chicago, Illinois_ ** **

Sam blinked rapidly, squinting his eyes in pain as he came to. It took him half a second to remember where he was and what had just happened before he blacked out. Jerking a little, Sam frowned as his movements were restricted. Looking down, he saw the ropes tied around him, and looking around, he could see Dean tied up to a pole, just the same as he was.

Dean, glaring at Meg from his place on the ground, caught the fact that Sam was awake from the corner of his eye. “Hey, Sam?” he called out. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but your girlfriend…” he trailed off, catching Meg’s eye before he finished his sentence, “Is a bitch.”

Meg grinned, shaking her head. Like _that_ was going to hurt her.

“This, the whole thing, was a trap,” Sam realized, breathing harshly as his eyes darted around for escape routes. “Running into you at the bar, following you here, hearing what you had to say…It was all a set-up, wasn’t it?”

Meg laughed, grinning widely as she looked at Sam. There was a reason he was her favorite.

“And that the victims were all from Lawrence?”

“It doesn’t mean anything,” Meg shrugged. “It was just to draw you in, that’s all.”

“You killed those two people for nothing,” Sam growled, disgusted.

“Baby,” Meg cooed. “I’ve killed a lot more for a lot less.”

“You trapped us,” Dean stated matter-of-factly. “Good for you. It’s Miller time. But why don’t you kill us already?”

Meg narrowed her eyes at him, almost sympathetic as she said, “Not very quick on the uptake, are we?” She leaned in closer, telling him a secret, “This trap isn’t for you.”

Dean stared at her uncomprehendingly. As far as he knew, Meg had only had brushes with Sam – twice now, if he got it right. Who else would the trap be for?

Sam, however, puzzled it out before his brother. “Dad,” he whispered, horrified. Meeting Dean’s gaze, Sam told him, “It’s a trap for Dad.”

Dean’s head swiveled around to look at Meg, who grinned at him.

“Oh, sweetheart, you’re dumber than you look,” Dean told her, heart thumping wildly against his ribcage. If Dad was as good as Dean knew him to be, he would be on his way to them as they spoke. He and Sam needed to get the hell away from the evil bitch and her shadow minions as fast as they could. Dad could get trapped right alongside them if they were too late. “’cuz even if Dad was in town, which he’s not, he wouldn’t walk into something like this. He’s too good,” Dean bluffed.

“He _is_ pretty good,” Meg conceded, annoyed at her own words. “I’ll give you that.”

Strutting closer to Dean, she sat straddling his legs, leaning in close. It was the single most disturbing thing Dean had ever encountered with a woman, even with their clothes on. He grimaced at her close proximity. Then again, she was just a thing wearing the shape of a girl, so he guessed his disgust was warranted.

“But, you see, he has one weakness,” Meg said, as though this was a secret she had just become privy to.

“What’s that?” Dean almost spat out.

“You,” Meg answered immediately, triumphant. “He lets his guard down around his boys, lets his emotions cloud his judgment. I happen to know he’s in town. And he’ll come and try to save you…And then the Daevas will kill everybody – nice and slow and messy.”

Dean glared at her, slowly slipping the knife he’d hidden in his sleeve out to his hand, subtly cutting away at his ropes.

“Well, I’ve got some news for ya,” Dean told her, trying to keep the movements of his arm and shoulder to a bare minimum so she wouldn’t notice. “It’s gonna take a lot more than some…Shadow to kill him.”

“Oh, the Daevas are in the room here,” Meg told them, pleased as punch. “They’re invisible. Their shadows are the only part you can see.”

Seeing the looks of hatred sent her way by both Sam and Dean, Meg sighed, giving them patronizing looks. “You know, you boys should me thanking me,” she said, wagging her finger at Dean. “Especially you, Dean.”

Dean gave her an incredulous look. “And how did you work that one out? What psychotic demon logic did you use?” he asked, barely able to believe her nerve.

“I could’ve gone after _her_, y’know,” Meg raised her eyebrow. Dean froze, his entire body seizing up. He could see Sam looking over at him worriedly. He couldn’t blame him. There were only two ‘hers’ it could possibly be, and neither one should have a demonic bitch like Meg anywhere near them. “You know, it’s funny,” Meg chuckled. “Daddy dearest did everything he could to hide the fact that you spawned a kid with a Halliwell bitch. As though the Halliwells aren’t under constant watch?”

Leaning in close to Dean again, Meg whispered to him, “We knew about the kid before you did.”

Dean glowered at her, unfreezing from his moment of fear to start cutting at his ropes again. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Dean lied.

“Tearful reunion you had,” Meg went on, ignoring his lie. “You and sweet Lynnie…I like the red hair. She’s only had it a few months, y’know?”

“Shut up,” Dean gritted out.

“And cute little Warren…Oh, wait, she likes being called Wren, doesn’t she?” Meg tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Yeah, she’s a spitfire, that one. Got kicked out of Girl Scouts cuz she got into a fight with another girl. There weren’t even any bitch slaps. She just went full on Buffy. Now that’s _my_ kind of girl.”

“You stay the hell away from her, you bitch!” Dean spat at her, trying to work faster on his bindings.

Meg grinned. “We almost gutted her at her birth,” she murmured, loosely draping her arms over his shoulders. “Did you know that? Swarmed the house…A hundred demons…Only a handful of us made it out. We wanted to take out that abomination before she gets powerful enough to be a threat to us. But she’s been protected by the Charmed Ones. Still is, even now. But we’ll get her, Dean, don’t you worry. We’ll gouge out her eyes, and yank out her insides, and we’ll burn her just like we burned your Mommy…”

“Shut the hell up,” Dean jerked his legs, trying to get her off of him. She chuckled, low and dark, unbothered by the movement.

“We’ll burn the red-head, too,” Meg sighed dreamily. “One less Halliwell to worry about. Oh, and Parker? Psychic roommate?” Meg turned her head to catch Sam’s eye. “Yeah, she’s gonna have a _real_ doozy of a time trying to See through my tricks. She won’t see a thing until she finds their charred bodies.”

Dean jerked his legs again and it brought Meg’s attention back to him. “Oh, sweet baby,” she cooed, caressing his face lightly. Dean craned his neck, trying to get as far away from her as he could, his blood curdling at her touch. “Don’t worry, Dean. I’ll make sure you’re there to see them, too. In fact, maybe I’ll drown you in their blood and guts. It’ll be _fun_.”

“Man, you just love the sound of your own voice, don’t ya?” Dean told her, wanting nothing more than to gank her ass, get rid of the Daevas and get on the road with Sam in tow. If they could just get the hell out of dodge, they could get in touch with Dad and warn him…And maybe then they could haul ass to San Francisco to check on Lynnie and Wren. Hearing a demon talk about gutting his girls was just a little too much than he could take. He _needed_ to see them, to make sure they were okay.

Sam, his own knife in his hand, had gotten much more progress with it than Dean, having taken the opportunity to cut more vigorously while Meg was distracted talking to his brother. He was almost out of his restraints and he needed to get Meg’s attention off of Dean so he could do the same.

“Why’re you doin’ this, Meg?” he called out to her. “What kind of deal you got worked out here, huh? And with who?”

“I’m doing this for the same reasons you do what you do – loyalty. Love,” an unpleasant smile crossed her lips as she continued, “Like the love you had for Mommy – and Jess.”

Sam glowered at her. “Go to hell,” he spat out.

“Baby, I’m already there,” she finally climbed off of Dean, sidling over to Sam.

Dean started to cut a little faster as he kept a watchful eye on Sam and Meg. He got a little too cocky when Meg started macking on Sam, reckless with the knife in his hand. Meg caught on to their little plan, tossing Dean’s knife aside and growing angry.

By sheer, dumb luck, Sam managed to destroy the altar Meg had set up. Like with most spells involving altars, destroying it broke the spell Meg had on the Daevas. Sam and Dean rushed to the broken window, peering down below to Meg’s broken body

“Next time you wanna get laid, find a girl that’s not so buckets-o’-crazy, huh?” Dean quipped. Sam gave him his patented Bitch Face. Dean turned to walk away, “Come on, we need to get out of here before the cops starts swarming the place.”

Sam rushed after him as they quickly exited the warehouse. “Should we find Dad?” he asked, anxious.

“Meg’s dead, so the threat’s gone,” Dean said gruffly as he slid into the driver’s seat of Baby.

“What?” Sam frowned, looking at Dean as he sped down the street. “Tell me you’re not that naïve. Whoever it was Meg was working for, they’re probably gonna send someone else after us – after Dad. We need to warn him!”

“And we will,” Dean insisted. “We’ll call him.”

“Right,” Sam scoffed. “’cuz he’s so friggin’ easy to get a hold of.”

“Look, Dad can take care of himself, alright?” Dean snapped at Sam. “And he’ll probably track us down anyway. We need to move – fast.”

“What? Why?” Sam frowned.

“You heard what she said, about Wren and Lynnie,” Dean reminded his brother as he pulled up with a screech in the parking lot of their motel.

“And Parker,” Sam said grimly.

“Exactly. I’m telling you. The moment we’re in our room, I’m calling for Lynnie and we’re going to San Francisco.”

“And then what?”

“I dunno. We’ll convince them to go into hiding for a while,” Dean shrugged, sliding the key inside the lock and pushing the door open.

“Right, that’s gonna go over well,” Sam rolled his eyes.

As they entered the room, they could see the outline of a man standing by the window. Eyes widening, both of them reached for their weapons.

“Hey!” Dean called out angrily, barely noticing Sam flipping on the light switch. The room was suddenly bathed in fluorescent lighting. His anger draining out of him faster than he expected, Dean stared at the haggard man as he turned to face them. “Dad?”

“Hey, boys,” John greeted them with a tired smile.

All of his righteous anger at his Dad’s actions, separating him and Lynnie, keeping Wren a secret from him, ensuring that his kid wouldn’t have a dad for five friggin’ years, putting his life on a completely different track…All of it melted away at the sight of his old man. He’d been pushing back his fear that something had happened to John, holding onto his anger so that he wouldn’t think about his Dad out there all alone, tracking down a powerful demon. But now…Looking at him, all Dean felt was gratitude that his Dad was still alive.

Walking towards his Dad, Dean squeezed his eyes tightly as John pulled him into a long hug. Sam watched them, a sad smile playing on his lips. He knew that as much as Dean had hated what John had done, his older brother would never be able to turn his back on their Dad. Not that Sam wanted him to – especially now, when they should be banding together to kill The Demon. Despite what Dean thought, hiding Lynnie, Wren and Parker wasn’t the answer. They would never even agree to hide away in the first place. Killing The Demon was the only way they’d all be safe from this threat.

John patted Dean on the back as he pulled away, turning his attention to his younger son. “Hi, Sam,” he greeted.

“Hey, Dad,” Sam returned, voice soft as he took his Dad in. He looked haggard and a little worse-for-wear, bruises on his face, circles under his eyes…But he was _there_, and he was _alive_, and that was all that mattered.

“It’s good to see you again. Both of you,” John told them sincerely, grasping Sam by the shoulders and yanking him forward for a hug. Sam could feel the tears behind his eyes, and he shut them, hugging his dad back just as forcefully.

Before they knew it, they were under attack, the only parts of their attackers they could see was their shadows. Sam, struck by a moment of brilliance, reached for the flare guns in their bag of weapons, yelling out for Dean and Dad to cover their eyes.

They made their escape, rushing for their Impala and Dad’s truck parked not too far from theirs.

“Alright, come on, we don’t have much time,” Sam said, a little out of breath from the fight they’d just barely scraped by. “As soon as the flare’s out, they’ll be back.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Dean halted them, his mind racing. “Sam, wait! Dad…You can’t come with us.”

Sam turned to look at him, incredulity scrawled all over his face. “Are you kidding!? You think this is the right time for petty anger? Now?”

“That’s not what this is about!” Dean yelled, glaring at him. “It’s not!”

“Well, then, what the hell are you talkin’ about!?” Sam asked, frustrated.

John, however, understood what his eldest was saying. Looking Dean in the eye, he shook his head, worried about his boys. “You boys…You’re beat to hell,” he murmured.

“We’ll be alright,” Dean reassured his Dad, understanding what he meant.

“Dean,” Sam started to panic, worried that Dad would push him out of the fight against The Demon – again. “We should stick together. We’ll go after those demons–”

“Sam, listen to me!” Dean interrupted him, anxious to make him understand. “We almost got Dad killed in there. Don’t you understand? They’re not gonna stop. They’re gonna try again. They’re gonna use us to get to him. I mean…Meg was right. Dad’s vulnerable when he’s with us. He…He’s stronger without us around.”

Sam shook his head, unable to accept Dean’s words.

John sighed, shoulders slumping. “You’re right,” he said to Dean.

“Dad – no,” Sam placed a hand on John’s shoulder, gripping it tight as though John would disappear the moment he let go. “Please. You…You did everything you could to keep Dean out of Wren’s life, to keep her safe from demons, and they knew about her anyway. They tried to kill her the moment she was born…Keeping a distance didn’t work with her, and it won’t work with us. We’re stronger together, Dad. You know that! You’ve _always_ known that, even when I didn’t wanna believe it! Please…”

“Son, you gotta be strong,” John urged him, grasping him by the arms. “You stick with your brother and you’ll be just fine. You hear me? You boys look out for each other.”

“Always,” Dean swore.

“After everything…After all the time we spent lookin’ for you…Please,” Sam pleaded with John. “I gotta be a part of this fight.”

“Sammy, this fight is just starting,” John said, ominous and desperate at the same time. “And we are all gonna have a part to play. For now…You’ve got to trust me, son.”

Sam was still shaking his head no, and John was reminded of when Sam was just a little boy, and whenever he was awake when John had to leave, he’d cling onto John, desperate to have him stay. John had leaned on Dean to take care of his brother then, and he was leaning on Dean to do it now. He didn’t know when Sam stopped clinging onto him, stopped wanting him to never leave, but it had broken his heart. Who would’ve thought that it would break his heart even more to have Sam cling onto him again?

“Okay, you’ve gotta let me go,” John said gently, heart cracking into a million pieces at the heartbroken look on Sam’s face.

Knowing that he was outmatched – two stubborn Winchesters against one wasn’t a bet he should make – Sam sniffed, patted John on the shoulder once and forced himself to let go.

John patted Sam on his arms, sharing a look with Dean, and stepped away from his sons. He headed towards his truck, hand on the door handle, before turning back to look at Dean.

“Dean?” he called out, guilt and self-righteousness warring inside of him. “I’m sorry, kid.”

“For what?” Dean’s brows furrowed together.

“For robbing you of the chance to be there for your own kid,” John sighed, shaking his head.

Dean’s head reared back in complete shock. He’d never thought he’d hear his dad apologize about that. In his mind, John had done the right thing, and even if that wasn’t something everyone else agreed with, John always stuck by what he believed to be right.

“It’s, uh…It’s okay, Dad,” Dean said, a little awkward. There was nothing else he could say about it all. It wasn’t okay, and Dean would likely hold onto some form of anger over it his whole life, but he also knew Dad did it out of love. He’d wanted to protect Dean, Lynnie and Wren.

“No, it’s not,” John insisted. “I only ever wanted…”

“I know,” Dean said, when John trailed off, seemingly unable to continue. “You wanted to protect us. Me. I get it, Dad. I do. Really.”

“That doesn’t make it right,” John frowned. “I would never have given up a single moment with you boys. I shouldn’t have forced you to give up time with your kid. And if what Sam said is true…I did it all for nothing.”

“Dad…” Dean trailed off on a sigh.

“I’m sorry, Dean. Really, I am,” John gave him a sad smile. “Tell Lynnie that, too, will you? I don’t know when I’ll get to meet the kid, but uh…I can’t wait.”

Dean felt the corners of his lips quirk upwards in a smile. “Her name’s Wren,” he reminded his dad. “And you’ve love her, Dad. She’s…She’s friggin’ amazing.”

John smiled, taking in the lovestruck look on Dean’s face. He’d felt that before, that all-encompassing love a parent has for their child, amazed at their very existence. He’d let that feeling slip away over the years, only taking a moment here and there to bask in it once in a blue moon, too focused on his quest of vengeance, knowing that if he slipped up, got too caught up in being a dad, evil might get to him when his guard was down.

Seeing Dean like that…Struck dumb by his own child, loving that little girl more than life itself…God, it was like it just occurred to John. He might’ve blocked out the whole world, including his sons, so that he could focus on tracking The Demon, but the world outside his little bubble had kept going. Now his son was a father, and John was missing it. He was _missing_ it.

He made a vow to himself to stop after The Demon was dead. No more hunts, no more being on the road all the friggin’ time. He’d make a life for himself. For the first time since Mary was gone, he’d settle down. He knew just the place to do it, too. San Francisco. He knew Dean would never be opposed to the idea – Wren and Lynnie were there, after all. And he knew Dean loved the Halliwells, considered them family. He’d never turn down the chance to be closer to family. San Francisco was close enough to Stanford, too, if Sam ever wanted to go back. And John…Well, he’d see about a woman in San Francisco, if she’d ever forgive him.

Yeah. The Demon…It was going to be his last kill. He swore it.

“Be careful, boys,” John told his sons, giving them a meaningful look.

Sam and Dean watched their dad drive away. Sam had to fight the instinct to run after the truck, to plead for his dad to stay one more time. He couldn’t help but feel like they’d made the wrong call. All his life, John and Dean had lived by the unquestionable rule that family should stick together, no matter what. It was this, in fact, that had estranged Sam from his family for four years while he attended college. He’d rebelled against this rule when it started to feel like a prison rather than a family.

And now…Now when he needed Dad to stick with him, needed him to let him be a part of this fight, Dad was pushing him away. Him _and_ Dean. Sam had to dig his heels into the ground to keep himself still, wanting nothing more than to chase after his Dad.

While Sam knew that Dean would never disobey Dad’s orders, he had no idea that Dean felt the same as him. Dean _didn’t_ want them to go on their separate ways.

It had been his idea, and he knew realistically that it was safer for Dad for them to be on their own, but it sucked ass. All Dean had wanted since he was four years old, even more than Lynnie sometimes, was his family back together. He couldn’t have Mom back, so he needed to keep the family he _did_ have together. But he couldn’t follow his emotions the way Sam had always been able to. He had to be stronger, had to be braver, so he kept his upper lip stiff, sniffed, barely looking at Sam as he jerked his head towards the Impala.

“Come on,” Dean said. “We gotta go.”

Sam nodded, bringing a hand up to his face to wipe the tears away. He followed his brother to the car, staring out the window as Dean drove in the opposite direction their dad had went, knowing that they were headed straight to San Francisco.

** ************************************************************  
****

****_**June 2006**_  
_**Fitchburg, Wisconsin**_** **

“I wish I could have that kinda innocence,” Sam admitted, looking a little sheepish as he watched Joanna and Michael drive away, the little boy excited to be on his way to see his little brother.

Dean nodded slightly, his gaze sliding away from the disappearing vehicle and falling onto the hood of the Impala. “If it means anything…Sometimes I wish you could, too,” he said, sharing a meaningful look of understanding with Sam.

Wanting to be done with their touchy-feely moment, Dean climbed into the car and started up the engine. Sam followed suit, pulling the passenger’s side door close just as Dean’s phone began to ring.

Dean frowned, reaching into his jacket’s pocket and pulling out his phone. The familiar number made him grin, and he answered the call instantly.

“We’re using phones now?” he asked teasingly.

“Well, I didn’t think orbing into Baby in the middle of a motel parking lot was a good idea,” Lynnie replied, smiling as she fiddled with her necklace.

Lynnie was stood next to the window, staring out into the rainy skies outside her apartment. Both Parker and Wren were out of the house, giving her a rare morning alone. She was off shift and the weather was making her feel like curling up with a warm blanket and a hot cup of tea, watching another rerun of Buffy. But she’d made a promise to her little girl and she’d never broken a promise to Wren before. She wasn’t about to start now.

“You spyin’ on me?” Dean narrowed his eyes, his tone playful.

“Just making an educated guess,” Lynnie hid her smile in her shoulder. “Listen…Can we talk a minute?”

“Yeah, sure,” Dean’s brows furrowed together. “What’s this about?”

“Don’t sound so serious, it’s nothing to worry about,” Lynnie reassured him. “I…I just wanted to know if you’re free this Saturday?”

Dean sat back in his seat, a teasing lilt to his voice as he asked, “Why? You’ve been missing me?”

Lynnie rolled her eyes. “Wren did,” she corrected him, unable to deny his words either way. “She’s got a karate tournament on Saturday and she really wants you there.”

“Oh,” Dean couldn’t help the pleased smile crossing his lips.

It had been just a little over a month since he’d been able to spend any real time with Wren. He and Sam had rushed to San Francisco after that fiasco with Meg, and after scaring the crap out of Lynnie and Parker by showing up in the middle of the night, panicked over the safety of the three of them, things had calmed down a little. Lynnie and Parker had strengthened the wards around the apartment, even extending it to the entire apartment complex (that one had been a doozy – three demons had fled the building when they’d done that; they’d apparently been possessing Lynnie’s neighbors in an effort to watch the Halliwells in apartment 1520. It had made the threat even more real to them, and Sam and Dean had stayed in town for a little over a week to ensure they’d be okay).

But work had called them away and, as much as he hated to admit it, there was just no way to ever guarantee that Wren and Lynnie would be safe for the rest of their lives. He’d tried getting them to hide away at Magic School until The Demon was dead, but Lynnie had arched an eyebrow and reminded him that Halliwells were warriors, not cowards. Parker had then told him a horrifying tale about a headless horseman attacking the School a few decades ago that kind of made him want to puke a little.

So, Sam and Dean had gone back on the road, with Lynnie promising to let him know if they caught even the slightest hint of trouble. Dean had made the odd trip back to San Francisco here and there thanks to Lynnie orbing him back and forth, mostly for Wren’s bedtime story-time, but most of his interaction with his kid had been through phone calls whenever he could manage it.

He knew that it was hard on Wren when he was on the road – despite his utter panic and military-like lockdown of the apartment when he and Sam had gone back a few months ago, Wren had been thrilled to see him, and equally sad to see him leave when he couldn’t put it off any longer. His girl was made of the toughest stuff, though, and she put on that stiff upper lip just as well as he did when he was her age. Dean wished she didn’t have to, but Wren, as he reminded her whenever he had to, wasn’t just a Halliwell, but a Winchester, too. It was just what they did.

They’d been taking cases non-stop since leaving San Francisco and now…After the shtriga…Dean wanted nothing more than to watch his little girl kick some ass and spend some time with her, hug her long and hard.

“I know you’re probably busy,” Lynnie said, breaking him out of his thoughts. “But she’s been bugging me to ask you for weeks. I knew you wouldn’t even know if you’d be free until the week of, so I’ve been putting off asking you until now.”

Dean was already planning the closest route to San Francisco. He could get there in a little less than two days, taking into account some pit-stops along the way for food and rest. It was only Tuesday morning, so they’d reach with plenty of time to spare.

“Nah, don’t worry about it,” Dean reassured her. “I’ll be there. In fact, we just wrapped up a case last night. I think we’ll head on over today…Should reach in a day or two.”

“Yeah?” Lynnie smiled, biting her lip nervously. “That’s great, Dean. Wren’s gonna love having you here for a few days.”

“That Lynnie?” Sam asked as Dean hung up.

“Yeah,” Dean tucked his phone away, keeping it close in his pocket. Wren hadn’t been home but Lynnie had promised to get the girl to give him a call the moment she came home from school. He didn’t want to miss the call. “Wren’s got a karate tournament on Saturday. She wants me there.”

Sam smiled at the determined look on his brother’s face as he pulled out of the motel parking lot. He’d been right about Dean being a great dad, and this was just one more moment proving it.

********************************************************

“Daddy!” Wren squealed in a high-pitched voice dogs probably responded to, dropping the crayon in her hand and scrambling off of the floor to rush towards the door.

“Hey, buddy,” Dean grunted a little as Wren threw her weight against his legs, hugging him tightly. “Did ya miss me?”

“Mm-hmm,” Wren looked up at him, hearts in her eyes, and Dean felt his chest tighten at the sight. “Are you taking a break from fighting monsters? Did you come for my tournament?”

“You know I did,” Dean grinned at her, loving her joyful shriek when he hauled her up by her arms and threw her in the air a little, catching her expertly and carrying her in his arms. She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing tight. “I can’t miss my girl kicking ass!”

“Dean!” Lynnie chided, a warning look in her eye despite the smile she couldn’t quite tamp down.

“What?” Dean looked at her innocently, heart swelling at Wren’s delighted giggles. “She’s five, not stupid. She knows what ass means. She can even spell it. Right, bud?”

In response, Wren began to loudly spell, “A-S–”

“Warren Piper-Mary Winchester-Halliwell!” Lynnie snapped, hands on her hips. “You’re old enough to know better!”

Dean was of no help, chuckling along as he bounced Wren in his arms. “Come on, squirt,” he said cheerfully. “Let’s go into the kitchen for a snack – then you can show me your moves.”

“Don’t play, Daddy,” Wren warned. “I can take you down!”

Lynnie smiled as she heard Dean faking a mortal injury, Wren half pretending to be Buffy (her favorite superhero at the moment) and half dissolving into laughter. He was such a good dad – she loved seeing it in action.

Sam sighed as he stepped past her towards the direction of the rooms, both his and Dean’s duffels and carry-ons hanging from his shoulders. “Sure, don’t worry about me,” Sam called out loudly. “I’ll just bring _all_ the bags in!”

“Stop being such a bitch, Sammy!” Dean called back, inappropriately given his present companion.

“Dean!” Lynnie threw her arms up in frustration. “Don’t make me freeze you!”

Parker watched with wide eyes and pursed lips as Sam disappeared down the hall, immediately crowding Lynnie against the door as she locked it. “You _have_ to tell him,” she insisted.

Lynnie glared at her, shushing her violently, looking around in panic to ensure neither Dean nor Sam had heard Parker’s vague comment. “Parker!” she chided, flaring her eyes warningly. “Shut up!”

“Lynnie!” Parker lowered her voice just to be on the safe side. “You know I’m right.”

“Yeah, well, excuse me for not blurting it out before he’s even inside the apartment,” Lynnie bitched, frowning at her cousin.

“Well, he’s in here now,” Parker pointed out sarcastically. “What’s your excuse now?”

Lynnie, ears picking up on Wren cheering in the kitchen at the prospect of an Elvis sandwich, called out loudly, “No junk food, please! It’s barely an hour away from lunchtime!”

“Lynnie,” Parker gripped her arm tightly, getting her to focus. “It’s not right that he doesn’t know.”

“I get it, okay?” Lynnie snapped, sighing as the fight left her body, her shoulders sagging. “I’ll tell him. Later. When he’s settled in.” Seeing Parker about to protest, Lynnie gave her a meaningful look. “Please…This is hard enough for me. Just…Let me do this at my own pace.”

Sensing Lynnie’s desperation, Parker sighed, nodding. However long she cousin waited, or whichever way she broke the news, Parker didn’t need her Sight to know it would end badly anyway.

As it turned out, Lynnie didn’t get a chance to tell Dean her news until after dinner. Wren insisted on Dean being a part of bath time (he didn’t enjoy her insistence that the cat got in the tub, too – there was a lot of loud yowling and deep scratches involved that he could’ve gone without), and her boundless energy hadn’t run out by the time she was cuddled up in bed with Miss Kitty. Dean had to read her three chapters of the latest Harry Potter book they were reading (Goblet of Fire), sing her two songs and even break the ‘no-eating-or-drinking-after-teeth-brushing’ rule by sneaking past Lynnie and getting them both a glass of cold milk and a warmed up cookie to dunk it in before Wren crashed, her parted lips forming an open-mouthed smile he adored.

By the time Wren was snoring into the cat’s fur, Dean was more exhausted than he’d ever been. It was less grueling battling a pack of werewolves than it was getting Wren to settle down. Pressing a kiss to the top of his daughter’s head, Dean took a deep breath of her strawberry shampoo-scented hair. Marveling once again at the fact that he had a daughter to begin with – a beautiful, kick-ass, sassy little girl he didn’t know he could love as much as he did – Dean whispered, “Goodnight, buddy. I’ll see you in the morning.”

He strode out into the living room, scratching at the soft cotton of his sweatpants. Yawning widely, he grinned tiredly at Lynnie who was curled up on the couch, watching that show she liked about the mother-daughter duo who talked faster than anyone could possibly understand.

“She’s asleep?” Lynnie asked, muting the TV when she caught sight of him.

“_Finally_,” he groaned. “God, that kid has way too much energy. I don’t know how you handle her every single day.”

Lynnie smiled, thinking of her large, loving family. “It takes a village,” she shrugged.

“This place is _way_ too quiet for eight P.M.,” Dean said, as the silence dawned on him. Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, he asked, “Where’s Sammy? And Parker?”

“They were craving some dessert, so they went out for some,” Lynnie lied, tongue getting a little dry as she sat up on the couch.

Dean looked at her disbelievingly. “Sam doesn’t crave anything sweet,” he countered. “Especially not this hour of the night. He says it’s bad to eat after eight, which is nuts, but the kid’s stubborn, what can I tell ya?”

Seeing the nervous look on her face, Dean paused, feeling a little out of sorts. Lynnie wasn’t the nervous sort of gal. “What’s really going on?” he asked, starting to get a little anxious over it.

Sighing heavily, Lynnie smoothed her hands down her face. “God, okay, I guess there’s nothing else to do but tell you…” Smiling a little nervously, she patted the couch next to her in invitation, “Can we talk?”

Putting his guard up based on instinct alone, Dean chose to perch on the armchair instead, keeping a little distance between them. “About what?” he asked, crossing his arms across his chest.

Trying desperately not to let her eyes drift down to his naked abs (because there was no way in hell Dean would miss it, and an even lesser chance he’d let it pass without a teasing comment, which was _so_ not the mood she wanted to set for such a serious conversation), Lynnie sat up a little straighter, reminded herself sometimes it was easier to just rip the band-aid off and exhaled, “Logan asked me to marry him.”

The breath left his lungs in a loud _whoosh_. Dean felt his jaw drop a little as he stared at the woman who’d once enthusiastically agreed to be his wife. Unbidden, the memory of her face as he pulled out The Ring flashed across his mind. He blinked, hard, to get rid of it, but it was there, burned into the front of his mind, into his retinas.

“He…What?” was his brilliant response, stammered out in utter disbelief.

“He asked me to marry him,” Lynnie repeated slowly, looking at him worriedly.

It would be an egotistical insult on her part to think that he was still in love with her after all their years apart, that he’d throw a jealous rage over finding out about Logan’s proposal. That wasn’t it at all…But, putting herself in his shoes as Parker had asked her to do (she might’ve gotten just a _tad_ defensive when the first thing out of Parker’s mouth after being told about the proposal was “God, what did Dean say!?”), Lynnie knew that it had to sting.

If Dean had shown up at her door one of these days and told her that he was in a relationship with someone else, it would hurt. If he’d told her it was a serious one, it would break her heart. If he’d told her that he was going to marry that woman, or even just _considering_ it, it would shatter her. He was her first love, her first everything, the father of her child…And, yes, even the man she still loved so very deeply.

So, yeah, it would suck for her, so she knew, without a doubt, that it sucked for him too.

“Dean?” she prompted, when he gave no further response to her revelation. In fact, he didn’t look like he’d moved at all, or even blinked, just staring at her blankly. She clasped her hands together anxiously. “Dean, say something.”

“What’d you say?” Dean asked suddenly.

“What?” she blinked, startled.

“He asked you to…” Dean swallowed, feeling something bitter in the back of his throat. “It was a question. So, you had to have answered him. What’d you say?”

“Oh,” Lynnie looked down at her lap, her mouth twisting into a grimace. Dean’s stomach dropped even lower, gut coiling painfully. “I…Well, I told him I’d think about it.”

Despite the tension releasing in his stomach, Dean still dreaded where this was headed. He stood, feeling a restlessness in his bones, and started to pace.

“What’s there to think about?” he growled.

Lynnie’s eyes widened and she stared at him, stunned. “You think I should say yes!?” she misunderstood.

Dean turned to face her, a look of disgust on his face at the very idea. “_No!_” he almost yelped. “Of course not! The guy’s a total douchebag! He talks too much…Who even understands what he’s saying half the time? He’s the beigest shade of beige that ever existed. He wears too much gel in his hair…”

Lynnie’s brows furrowed as she took in his childish words. “You think I should say no?” she said slowly. “Because of his hair?”

“And he’s got that stupid _face_,” Dean scowled, getting more than a little petty in his anger. “Makes me wanna punch him.”

“Hey!” Lynnie jumped to her feet, hands on her hips, feeling defensive on Logan’s behalf. “His face is…It’s a good face.”

Dean rolled his eyes, giving her an incredulous look. “I can’t believe you’re…What? Gonna marry some jerk-off? Really?”

“He’s _not_ some–”

“Did you ever think about Wren in all this?” Dean snapped, cutting her off.

Her blood turned to ice, Lynnie crossed her arms over her chest, mirroring his defensive stance. “Excuse me?” she asked, voice low and hard, a dangerous edge to it.

Even in his red-tinged jealousy-induced rant, Dean recognized that this was probably a step too far. But he never gave in – ever – especially when it came to strange dudes trying to steal the life that he should’ve had, if everything hadn’t gotten so screwed up.

“Wren,” he pressed on, despite knowing in his gut he should take it back and apologize. Too far gone to care, he continued, “Some guy she barely knows is, what, gonna marry her mom, move in? How’s that gonna go for her? Huh? You don’t think this will confuse her?”

“Stop,” Lynnie said through gritted teeth, eyeing him with narrowed slits. “I don’t ever do anything – anything – without thinking it through a thousand times over. I never put my kid through anything that would mess her up. The fact that you even think…”

“Well, I’m just saying–”

“Yeah, maybe you should stop with that,” Lynnie snapped.

“I’m her dad, not that lame-ass son of a bitch,” Dean stuck his ground. “And if he thinks he can just waltz in…”

“Hold up, you being her dad is not a question here,” Lynnie held up a hand. “Logan would never–”

“Oh, come on, of course he would!” Dean threw his hands up in frustration. “You know he would!”

“No, I don’t know that!” Lynnie huffed, annoyed. “What the hell is this really about? I’m…I’m trying to…”

“To what?” Dean stepped forward, grasping her gently by the arms. Despite his turmoil, despite the fight they were having, despite the fact that his heart was breaking and his world was turning upside down, there was no way in hell Dean would hurt her. “Huh? What are you trying to do?”

“I’m trying to live, Dean,” Lynnie murmured, soulful eyes boring into his. Dean blinked rapidly a few times, as though her words had cleared the fog in his brain. He opened his mouth, but no words came out, nothing that he could say to argue against her desire to have a life.

They were interrupted by the door swinging open, Parker and Sam stepping through with laughter in their voices, big smiles on their faces. Carrying coffee and dessert boxes, Parker announced cheerily, “Hey, we’re back!”

“We even got pie,” Sam grinned at his brother, holding up the boxes in his arms. “Parker got a little crazy with the flavors, but I got an apple one for you.”

Dean lifted his hands away from Lynnie’s arms as though he’d been burned. Straightening up and barely able to look anyone in the eye, he said gruffly, “I’m not hungry.”

Lynnie watched him storm off towards the guest bedroom, eyes watering a little. She wrapped her arms around herself, wondering why it felt like her heart was breaking and maybe denying the answer just a little. She jumped at the sound of a door slamming close.

Giving Parker and Sam a wan smile, she sniffed a little and said, “I think I’m gonna head in.”

“You sure?” Parker asked, stepping forward in concern.

Knowing that a single touch from her cousin or even a gentle pry would have her bursting into heartbroken, angry tears, Lynnie stepped back, nodding. “Yeah. Sorry…I just…Migraine,” she mumbled, fleeing into her own room and locking the door behind her. It wouldn’t help if Parker really wanted to enter but she hoped that if Parker did try and found the door locked, she’d get the hint and leave her alone for the night. Climbing into bed, Lynnie sunk under the covers and curled up with her pillow, squeezing her eyes tight. Praying for sleep, Lynnie tried hard not to think about Dean or the way his face had looked when she’d told him her news.

Parker sighed, putting down the coffees on the table and turning to share a look with Sam as he closed the door with his foot.

“Well, that could’ve gone better,” she shook her head.

“No, I don’t think it could’ve,” Sam looked worriedly over in the direction of the bedrooms, sad for his older brother.

Parker nodded, agreeing. She liked Logan, she really did. He was a genuinely nice guy – but he wasn’t the one for Lynnie. She hoped that the proposal would prompt her dear cousin to snap out of it, break things off and get back together with the only guy she’d ever fallen for.

** ************************************************************* **

** ** **Yes, I *did* name Morgan Valley after JDM. LOL. Couldn’t help myself.** ** **

** ** **Fun fact: the first ship I ever knew was Bangel (Buffy/Angel) and I loved it so much. Broke my heart when he left town and flopped around weirdly from one girl to another on his own show before that whole odd Cordelia thing). Re-watching Buffy as I got older, though, I shipped her with Spike more. But, of course, nothing compares to Willow/Tara.** ** **

** ** **The ‘present day’ portion of this chapter is basically the end/aftermath of episodes 1x16 (Shadow) and 1x18 (Something Wicked). I didn’t include 1x17 (Hell House) because there’s not much in there to change to include Lynnie and Wren. Wren’s gonna meet the Ghostfacers in the future, though, and I think their interaction’s comedy gold.** ** **

** ** **By the way, 15x18 broke my heart. WHAT IS WITH THAT ENDING!? I'm not ready for 15x19 and I'm DEFINITELY not ready for The End. I don't want to spoil 15x18 for those who haven't seen it yet (I only just watched it a few hours ago myself) but lets just say that even though I wasn't a shipper, that scene BROKE me. Just shattered me. I cried myself to sleep to nap away a migraine I got from all the sobbing. I just can't. Here's the thing, though...Is Dean bi?? I need a definitive answer from Jensen Ackles himself. That's when I'll believe it cuz no one knows Dean better than him. And I'll accept it either way. I just need an answer. We love you, Cas!!** ** **


	9. Carry On, My Wayward Son

**TWC Chapter 9: Carry On, My Wayward Son**

**A/N: **I have literally just watched episodes 15x19 and 15x20. JUST. So I'm not going to spoil it for anyone, except to say…I've been changed forever thanks to Supernatural. I'm not okay at all that it's over. The ending made me sad and happy and devastated and peaceful all at the same time. It's confusing as hell so TWC will be my source of therapy, if you don't mind.

By the way, I stayed away from any and all spoilers before watching the final two episodes and, after I DID watch it, re-reading what I wrote here, about the start of everything, about their hopeful futures…Oh, my God, I'm gutted. I'm just devastated. Their respectful endings and the one they shared together made sense but it didn't make it any less heartbreaking.

On to chapter 9!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything Supernatural or Charmed related.

* * *

**Feb 2000**

**San Francisco, CA**

"Dad's in a good mood," Dean whispered as he peered out into the dining room, nervous despite himself. Give him a poltergeist any day and he'd be fine, but a family dinner…Well, that was just terrifying.

So far, it had gone fairly smoothly. There was the usual Halliwell banter, but no one had tried to kill anyone, no demons had come bursting in and the deadliest thing at the table was Piper's wit. It was a regular ole weekly dinner, where the entire Halliwell clan came together for one of Piper's meals, and though Dean thought every meal Piper prepared was a feast, no one else thought it was a big deal.

Except that it _was_ a big deal.

John had just returned to San Francisco from his hunt with one of his hunter buddies. He didn't like Sam and Dean to be a part of the job if he was doing it with one of his contacts. He'd asked them to handle a simple salt-and-burn case in San Diego, which had taken them a grand total of two days to do, and Dean had immediately peeled off towards San Francisco once the bones were nothing more than a pile of ashes, Sam in tow.

They hadn't breathed a word about their engagement to anyone – outside of Dean's little helper Parker and his confidant Sam, of course – since his birthday weeks ago. They'd both wanted to enjoy it for themselves for just a little while. They'd spent their very first Valentine's weekend together as an engaged couple cooped up together at the Four Seasons (he'd 'splurged', using one of his fake credit cards) and it had been magical with just a side of dirty, just the way he liked it.

But now, with everyone gathered together, both of them wanted to share the news. And Dean was…terrified.

He knew that Lynnie's family will be supportive of them, no question about it. Sam would be thrilled, too. But there was just no way to predict how John was going to react and, other than Lynnie and Sam, his dad was the only person in the world whose opinion mattered to Dean.

"Stop," Lynnie urged quietly.

Dean threw a look at her over his shoulder. "What?" he shrugged innocently.

Lynnie smiled, abandoning the dessert they were meant to bring into the dining room on the kitchen island. Stepping up to him, she wrapped her arms around his middle and leaned her cheek against his back, breathing in his familiar cologne, masculine and intoxicating. "Panicking," she clarified. "It's gonna be okay."

"You don't know that," Dean scoffed. "Do you think my dad had a little too much beer already?"

"I _always_ think he's had a little too much," Lynnie answered promptly, biting back a grin at his glare. "Dean, relax. Breathe. Everyone's gonna be happy about this."

Dean took her advice, breathing deeply, and in a moment of rebellion, decided, "It doesn't matter. As long as we're happy, baby, I'm good."

Eyeing her a little nervously, he double checked, "You are, right? Happy?"

"The happiest," she echoed her sentiment on the night they got engaged. Grinning as he spun around, she allowed him to pull her closer into his embrace, one hand sliding into his hair, scratching at his scalp. Like he always did whenever she did that, Dean shivered, his kisses growing just a tad more aggressive.

Things were getting just a touch too heated, one hand slipping underneath the thin strap of her dress to touch her flushed skin, fingertips grazing at her racing pulse, when they heard someone fake gagging.

"Gross," Chris' annoyed voice broke them out of their loved-up daze. Breaking apart and panting harshly, they turned to look at Lynnie's older brother, one annoyed and one sheepish. "Do you two _mind_ not ruining dessert for me?"

Lynnie glared at Chris. "Chris! Get out!" she snapped.

"You were taking too long," her brother replied. "_Some_ of us would like cake before yet another demon crashes yet another dinner."

"I love how you're just so optimistic," Dean joked, heart fluttering like he was a schoolgirl when Lynnie reached up with her palm against his cheek, a gentle thumb swiping at the lipstick she'd left behind on his mouth. "Did I ever mention that?"

Chris threw them both an irritated glare, grabbing the cake and headed for the door.

Lynnie watched him leave before turning to look at Dean, breathing deeply, brave face on. "Ready?"

Dean was pretty sure he'd never been _less_ ready for anything the way he was about this, but Lynnie's fingers twined with his, and he was suddenly struck with enough fearlessness to inspire jumping out of a plane. "Yeah," he decided, giving her an anxious half-smile that made her want to kiss it right off his mouth. She gave into the impulse and beamed when he smiled at her after, that handsome flirty smile of his that always made her heart flip.

Hand in hand, they walked back towards the dining room where Piper was cutting up the cake, fending off Leo as he tried to take a forkful of it around her. Lynnie grinned at her parents as Piper giggled at Leo's antics, jokingly scolding him as he earned her forgiveness with kisses, distracting her long enough to get his forkful of cake.

They looked as in love as they've always been her whole life and Lynnie felt the sudden urge to hug them, thank them for being such an inspiration to her. It was in no small way that they'd influenced the way she looked at love and relationships. She knew they'd influenced Dean, too. She honestly didn't know if she and Dean would be where they were, engaged, happily together since they were teenagers, if it hadn't been for the example her parents had set for them. Feeling a strong wave of love and gratitude for them wash over her, Lynnie released her hold on Dean's hand, bounding over to her parents to hug them both, arms around their shoulders.

"I love you," she announced to her parents.

A gentle, loving smile on his face, Leo hugged his daughter back, pleased by her sudden admission. "We love you, too, sweetheart," he pressed a kiss to her temple.

Piper, despite her grin, narrowed her eyes at Lynnie suspiciously. "Alright, what did you do?" she asked warily, teasingly. "Can't be worse than your sixteenth birthday."

"I didn't do anything!" Lynnie defended herself, too happy to pretend to scowl. "And, in my defense, that mailbox jumped out of nowhere."

Rolling her eyes, Piper plated up an extra large slice of cake for Dean, which he took with lit eyes and drool at the corner of his mouth. "Uh-huh," she drawled. "I keep forgetting that our neighbor's mailbox can grow legs and move around on its own."

"Mom, Dad," Lynnie exhaled loudly, shaking out her nerves as she went to stand next to Dean. She had to clear her throat a little to snap him out of his cake daze, twining their fingers together again as they faced her family. "Everyone…Dean and I…We have an announcement to make."

Dean, anxiety slamming back into him at full force, tightened his grip on Lynnie's hand, unable to look in his Dad's direction. Even with his eyes firmly trained on Piper and Leo, Dean could see his Dad out of the corner of his eye, weary smile fading into a cautious frown.

"We, uh, we're getting married!" Lynnie couldn't help her excited grin, almost bouncing on her toes.

"Oh, my God!" Piper was the first one to exclaim, dropping the cake knife to dart towards her daughter and future son-in-law. "You're engaged!? When!?"

"Dean's birthday," Lynnie admitted sheepishly, accepting hugs and kisses from her parents, cousins, aunts and uncles…Even Sam was getting in on it, hugging both Lynnie and Dean hard, excited for them.

"_What!?_ That was a month ago!" PJ protested, punching Dean in the arm hard enough to hurt. "Why didn't you tell us!?"

"We kind of just wanted to keep it to ourselves for a little while," Lynnie said, shrugging unapologetically.

Wyatt and Chris patted Dean on the back, a brotherly act that wiped away all of Chris' former protective attitude when it came to the roguish hunter 'defiling' his sister (he'd actually said that once and Lynnie's anger at being interrupted by the thousandth time by him had been replaced by uncontrollable laughter; Chris hadn't been able to stop blushing for a week after). Dean accepted their congratulatory pats and handshakes absently, eyes finally sliding over to his Dad.

John, unlike the rest of the dinner party, _hadn't_ stood to hug and congratulate the happy couple. Instead, face growing steadily angrier by the second, he swirled the little remainder of beer left in his bottle, eyes locked on the table in front of him. Hearing the congratulations and the cheer, he couldn't help but scoff.

He knew the Halliwells were reckless (something Piper ironically liked to accuse him of, funnily enough), getting into relationships, getting married, staying put in one place long enough to go to one school consistently and get stable nine-to-five jobs like they were _regular_ people. They never saw the harm in doing that, but honestly, John knew that there was no such thing as a happy ending. How can there be when evil was always lurking in the shadows, waiting to hurt and maim and break and kill? The Halliwells risked so much by pretending they were Normies, but John knew better. Once upon a time, despite his ongoing fling with Piper's youngest, John had thought Dean knew better, too.

He'd failed as a father if Dean couldn't understand that this was something they weren't meant to have. A relationship – a _marriage_, no less – would only distract him. If they had kids (and, if Lynnie was anything like her mother and aunts and their ancestors before them, she'd have three, the magic number when it came to the Halliwell family apparently), _they_ would be cursed, too. Lynnie and any future Dean might have with her would only serve as a distraction. And if demons found out about this? It would be like Mary all over again.

He couldn't let this happen. He _refused_ to let this happen.

Tossing back the rest of his beer, John stood up from his seat, the abrupt movement causing his chair legs to scrape loudly against the floor. The noise halted everyone else's movements, and almost as one, they turned to stare at John.

Not giving a crap about them, not even meeting Dean's eyes, John growled out, "Sammy. Go get yours and your brother's bags. We're leaving."

Piper sighed audibly, feeling the happiness getting sucked out of the room. _Goddamn John Freakin' Winchester_, she cursed in her mind.

"What? Dad, why?" Sam protested immediately, ecstatic smile falling off his face. "We're right in the middle of dinner! And…And Dean and Lynnie got _engaged_! And–"

"_Now_, Sam," John interrupted, his tone stern.

Sam stopped short, staring at his father. He could count on one hand the number of times Dad called him Sam instead of Sammy. It usually meant that any arguments were not to be had, his orders not to be questioned. Usually, it's because of a life-or-death situation and Sam was okay with following his dad's lead. This time…This time no one was dying. No one was even in danger. Dad was just being an ass.

Sam crossed his arms over his chest and glared at his dad, keeping silent. John, seeing the stubborn set of Sam's jaw, rolled his eyes, exasperated. "This is not the time or the battle, Sam. Bags. Now," John ordered, irritated.

"Dad," Dean called out quietly, desperate to have him look him in the eye, desperate to make him understand…Lynnie was his family. _Of course_ this was going to happen at some point. This was that point.

"Dean," John exhaled loudly, saying his son's name through gritted teeth. "We're gonna need to have a talk. But, right now, I want you to get in the damn car and get going."

"Dad, I can't," Dean frowned, pleading with his words and his eyes, trying to make him understand. "Can you just…Can we…Look, I-I love her, Dad. And I know you think I can't handle it. But I can. I swear to you, I can."

"We're not discussing this here," John snapped at him. "Get in the car, Dean."

Lynnie bit her lip as Dean squeezed her hand a little too tight. Wrapping her free hand around his arm, Lynnie stood as close to him as she could, wanting to give him just a little bit of comfort. Her cheeks burned with second-hand embarrassment as her cousins, aunts and uncles slowly filed out of the room, shepherded away by Parker in an attempt to give them some privacy. She even hooked a finger in Sam's hoodie, dragging him out despite his protests.

"Dad, please," Dean begged. "I love her."

"Fine," John threw his hands up, shaking his head. "You want me to say it, kid? You're putting her in danger."

"I can protect myself," Lynnie protested, indignant. "I'm not helpless!"

"Stay out of this!" John snapped at her, his tone angrier than she'd ever heard it directed at her. Jaw snapping shut in shock more than anything else, Lynnie stared at him, stunned.

"Dad!" Dean called out, rage starting to seep in through the cracks of his desperation. Tightening his hold on Lynnie's hand, he gently tugged her a little, subtly moving her to stand behind him, as though he was a body shield between her and his dad's biased anger. "Stop it! This…This was supposed to be a happy day."

"Well, that's _your_ mistake, son," John chided. "You think you're meant to have happy days? That you're meant to have…This? Her? A marriage? What's next, two-point-five kids, a dog and a white picket fence?"

Scoffing, John shook his head, disappointment heavy in his tone and his expression. "You should know better," he told Dean, quiet and disapproving. "You're only going to get her killed."

"Alright, that's enough!" Piper interjected, glaring at John in a way that would've turned weaker men to stone. "You're not going to ruin this for them by being a moody, pessimistic asshole."

"You don't get to interfere," John pointed a finger at her threateningly.

"Were you going for ironic sarcasm or just blind ignorance?" Piper shot back.

"I know you're worried, John," Leo stepped in, always the mediator. "But Lynnie and Dean are strong, they're smart and careful…And they've got us. They're protected."

John shook his head. "That's what we always think," he insisted. "That's the weakness evil preys on." Swiveling to look in Dean's direction, he gave his eldest son a beseeching look. "Dean, I'm sorry. I…I took the easy way, letting you and Sammy stay here so much growing up. I should've been preparing you, making you stronger…Instead…"

"_She_ makes me strong," Dean admitted quietly, unable to look at Lynnie. He'd crossed Chick Flick Lane straight towards Cheeseball Avenue, and he didn't need to see her laugh at him for it.

Knowing the reason he was steadfastly avoiding her gaze, Lynnie offered Dean comfort the only way she knew how, squeezing his hand tighter for a few seconds, her free hand rubbing soothingly up and down his arm. She could see the tension in his shoulders easing just a fraction, smiling when he squeezed her fingers back in acknowledgement.

"You think that now, but when she's dead in your arms, you'll know that I'm right," John warned Dean.

"Hey!" Piper slammed her hands on the table, hard enough that a bottle tipped to the side, spilling red wine on the white tablecloth. "My little girl is stronger than your average Tabitha. She can handle whatever demons throw her way. And, I don't know if you've noticed, so can Dean."

"See, that's the problem with you Halliwells," John scoffed, scowling. "You always take it easy, always playing it like we're just like everybody else. We're not. It's all fun and games until someone dies. Or worse."

"It's really funny how you keep calling us reckless," Piper snarked. "Do ya happen to own a mirror?"

"See, I could deal with this when this was a fling," John continued, ignoring her.

"Dad, when has it _ever_ been a fling?" Dean furrowed his brows together. "Lynnie's…She's always been way more than that. _Always_."

John ignored him, too. "But now, we're talking _marriage_? _Jesus_, kid," John exhaled loudly. "Being here, being around _them_…It's lowered your guard. It's made you more vulnerable than you've ever been. I look away for two seconds, and you're ready to just give up and let the demons get to you."

"That's not true!" Dean protested. "Me and Lynnie…We'll protect each other. We'll just…Do it from here. Sammy can stay with us, go to one school until he graduates. He'd like that. Dad…I'll still hunt. I will. I swear. But…I want this. I need this."

"That's my point," John snapped at him. "You've grown soft. You got weak. That girl of yours? She's gonna get you killed, 'cuz _this_…This is just getting you distracted and vulnerable. And guess what, kid? You're gonna be the reason _she_ dies, too."

"Okay, what is this, Dysfunctional Parent 101?" Piper rolled her eyes. "No one's dying. Loving someone doesn't mean you're weak. It makes you strong. I get that you're both neurotic and crazy, John, but Dean and Lynnie will be fine. They'll look out for each other. They'll have a long, happy life together."

"Yeah, let's fill them up with even _more_ bologna about happily ever after," John scoffed, feeling his blood boiling. "Like we're in some kind of Hallmark Christmas movie."

"It's not bologna if it's true," Piper retorted, arms crossed over her chest as she stared him down.

"Yeah, tell that to your mother," John said callously, too caught up in his rage and panic. The moment the words left his mouth, he wished he could take them back. If not for compassion, then for fear of the witch glaring at him as though she wanted nothing more than to blow him up with the power of her mind.

"Don't you _dare_ talk about my mother," Piper warned him through gritted teeth. "She was wise and beautiful and kind, and she was a witch and a mother. She might not have lived long but she had a life well-lived. She loved and was loved in return. She would have _never_ stood in the way of her children finding happiness in this messed up world, even if all the odds were stacked against them. _Especially_ then!" Piper could clearly remember her mother talking her down from her moment of panic on her wedding day, the heroine who ensured Piper had decades of marital bliss with her Leo.

"Even now, decades after she passed, she's still missed. She's still remembered. She had a legacy worth dying for," Piper eyed John with a confusing mix of pity and anger. "That's the only thing I can wish for my children, John Winchester, and you'd better _damn_ well count your lucky stars that your kids seem to be doing just that rather than follow in your footsteps."

"Look, I shouldn't have said what I said about your mom," John sighed wearily, the closest he'd ever come to an apology. "But these kids…They're _just_ kids. They wouldn't be able to handle marriage if they _didn't_ have to deal with monsters. But throw in evil to the mix and, God, it's gonna be a disaster. You _know_ it will."

"No, actually, we don't," Leo interjected, voice as calm and soothing as his presence, the perpetual Whitelighter even decades after falling from grace. "Look, John, no one can predict exactly how life will turn out. Not even Halliwell psychics. The best we can do is…Just…Be there for them. Love them, support them. I want the best for Lynnie. And for Dean. I know you do, too. We can't shield them from life, John. If this marriage ends badly, then it'll suck. But I don't think it will. I think they can make it work. And even if I don't, it's not my place to interfere. They're happy, they love each other, they're willing to give it a shot. All we can do is support them."

John glared at the other man, envious of his ability to be so positive and angered that he seemed to be blind to all the life-threatening risks this union would bring.

"This isn't a Jerry Springer episode," John snapped, reaching the end of his tether. "Being here, around this family, it's made my boy soft. He's thinking of marriage and children and God knows what. That's the kind of stuff that people like us aren't meant to have. Dean should know better. I should've taught him better. He needs to snap out of this fairytale daze 'cuz none of this is real. None of this ends well. If you're too much of a coward to make them see sense, then _I'll_ do it."

There was a lot more yelling, a lot more crying…Eventually, the happiness that Dean had felt, the total elation that Lynnie was going to be his wife – _God_, his _wife_ – disappeared completely. Lynnie stood back, trying valiantly and failing as she watched father and son screaming at each other, the very first time she'd ever seen them like that, tearing each other apart. John was unreasonable in his insistence, sure that despite Dean's promises that he'd still hunt after marriage, it was the first step towards retiring from being a hunter ("A retired hunter is a dead hunter.") He accused Lynnie of being the reason Dean was slacking off, why he was bound to get himself killed one way or another. Dean brought up his mom. John, for the first time in his life, punched his son, anger clouding his judgment.

Dean stared up at him from the shiny, clean floor of the Halliwell dining room (how they kept it so clean when demon guts exploded there at least once a day he'll never know), eye throbbing, pulse jackhammering, his anger melting away into shock.

John stared at his son, frozen to the spot. He'd never once raised a hand to his kids. Yeah, he was tough on them, he trained them like they were soldiers (because they were) and, lost after Mary died, he took to parenting like it was the military and he was their commanding officer rather than their dad. He knew it was hard on them, but he believed it made them stronger. But beating them…No, John hunted monsters. He wasn't one himself.

Until now.

"Dean…Son, I'm so sorry," John whispered, running a hand down his face.

Suddenly Phoebe was there, an air of fabricated serenity around her pushing towards everyone else in the room.

"I think we all need some time to calm down," she said, and John found himself agreeing to it without a fight. He can't be sure if it's because Phoebe's manipulating his emotions or because he's just too damn shocked over breaking a promise he'd made to himself – and to Mary. He'd hurt his boy. God, what the hell was he even _doing_!?

Phoebe took him to the conservatory, telling him to take a couple of breaths, enjoy the night breeze. "It's peaceful here," she promised him, a small smile on her face. "Look, just a take a couple of minutes to cool off. Take an hour, even. Dean needs to do the same."

John noticed belatedly as she left the room that they'd passed by empty rooms on the way from the dining room. There wasn't anybody else left. He supposed, with their magical means of transportation, they wouldn't have needed to awkwardly make their way past the Fighting Winchesters to get to the front door.

_Congratulations, John, you've cleared out an entire house full of people_, Mary's voice echoed in his head, and he could hear her sighing in disappointment, the sound so real he flinched.

"John?"

He knew that voice, knew it like the back of his own hand. He knew what it sounded like annoyed, happy, sad…Wistful. He knew how it sounded like breathing his name like it was the only thing keeping her grounded. And, yet, turning to face her, John was struck by surprise. She had been there, after all, listening to all the crap he'd been screaming about Lynnie, about her family, listening even when she'd been ushered out of the room to give John and his son some modicum of privacy. He was shocked she'd stuck around.

"Peyton?" he blinked at her, but she didn't disappear. He wasn't hallucinating. She wasn't a mirage. She was really there. "Peyton, what're you doing here?"

She closed the sliding doors behind her with a soft click, eyes never leaving his face. She looked so pretty, heart-shaped face clearly inherited from her mother, green eyes framed by long, thick lashes…John felt his heart skip a beat at the sight of her. The crushing guilt that always came right after almost suffocated him, Mary's face staring back at him from behind his eyelids every time he blinked. _Do you love her, John?_ Mary had asked him once in a nightmare. _Do you love her like you loved me? More?_

"I wanted to see if you were okay," she said quietly, walking towards him.

John stood, eyes taking in the three hundred and fifty doors that surrounded the conservatory. Not that her family needed doors to enter a room, but it made him jumpier than usual.

"Peyton, anybody could walk in," he warned.

Though she stopped moving, standing a few feet in front of him instead, she said, "I don't care."

Folding her hands together, Peyton stared at the man she'd fallen in love with within a week of being with him. She'd never been in love before, which she knew her sisters didn't understand. Parker gave so easily when it came to love and relationships, falling hard and submerging himself into each and every relationship she found herself in. PJ fell in love twice a month. Peyton had always been the anomaly, a Cupid who'd never experienced love for herself.

And then, there was John Winchester.

She'd known him since she was six years old, but he'd always been almost a myth to her. The Santa Claus that _could_ exist, but somewhere else. She'd only really seen him a handful of times herself growing up – he chose to stay away whenever Sam and Dean stayed over at the Manor, and Peyton didn't live there despite spending most of her childhood in that house. Most of the time, Peyton had only caught a glimpse of him behind the driver's seat of the Impala as he waited for Sam and Dean to leave or get in.

Last Thanksgiving had been different.

He'd shown up the day before, covered in blood and barely able to move. Apparently, he'd been ambushed in a ghoul's nest. Paige had healed him and he'd wanted to get back on the road the moment it was done, but Piper had gotten in his face, telling him that his sons deserved a Thanksgiving meal that wasn't from a can or a diner, "And you deserve it, too, John. Whether you believe it or not, you do."

He'd reluctantly stayed and the Halliwells had partied well into midnight. By the time the last of her family had slipped into a Piper-Halliwell-Food-Coma, Peyton had found herself wrapped in John's arms, inviting him into her bed.

She wasn't a virgin, but that first time with John…It felt different than it did with other men. She wondered sometimes if she was as impulsive as her sisters, falling in love with someone in one night, but she would never get an answer to that question, so she'd pushed that thought to the back of her mind.

Peyton had been worried that John was just too drunk to know who he'd fallen into bed with, but he'd wrapped impossibly large hands around her waist the next morning, smiled all sleepy and soft, and she'd felt her heart flutter, sliding her hand up and down that mountain man beard of his, feeling the hair prickle at her palm. He made her feel right and warm and loved and she wanted that for the rest of her life.

They had snuck around for the past few months since, Peyton finding the time to orb to him more and more now that she was officially done with college (she'd graduated early, summa cum laude, much to her parents' pride). In turn, John broke his 'family always sticks together' rule, letting the boys spend more and more time at the Manor and at Bobby's rather than on the road with him, purely so that they wouldn't be there when Peyton dropped by.

He'd come around to San Francisco whenever he could, stopping by her apartment for secret visits. Peyton had never been gladder that she'd moved out of her parents' loft and into her own apartment. It had been a wild ride, and every single time she saw him, every time he kissed her or made her laugh or touched her, even when it was just as innocent as brushing hair out of her face, she fell even harder for him. He wasn't perfect – he was gruff and driven by revenge, broken even in ways that she didn't think anyone could fix. But he was _hers_. And she loved every little jagged piece of his heart that he gave to her, finally understanding how her sisters could give all of theirs over to someone else.

"Did you mean all of that?" she asked now, heart breaking. Because every single thing he'd said, about being distracted, growing soft and weak, getting each other killed…He might have been screaming it at Dean and Lynnie, but Peyton had felt it all in her soul.

"Peyton…" he sighed, shaking his head. "I didn't mean that about you."

"Didn't you?" she asked, wrapping her arms around herself as though to keep herself together. "We Halliwells make you Winchesters weak, right? We're bound to get each other killed?"

John gazed into those beautiful green eyes he'd grown to love over the past three months. He didn't think he'd fall for anyone else after Mary. Yet here he was, head over heels, and haunted by visions of his late wife whenever he thought about how much he'd come to care for Peyton.

"Say something," Peyton pleaded, snapping John out of his daze.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, steeling himself.

What he'd said about Dean and Lynnie…He'd meant it. Even if he could've said it better, or at a different time, he'd meant it. And none of it would have happened anyway if he hadn't gotten so careless over the years, letting the boys spend so much time at the Manor until they were almost part-time residents there. Dean wouldn't have lost sight of the real mission, he wouldn't have built up this fantasy in his head about living any kind of apple pie life, not even part-time.

John had grown comfortable hunting on his own, too distracted by chasing the Demon. And these past couple of months, he'd been too distracted by Peyton. For God's sake, he was having a _family dinner_ not an hour ago! They weren't the Walton's.

"_Sorry?_" Peyton repeated in a whisper, and John had to turn away, heart seizing at the sight of tears forming in her eyes. "Sorry about what? Being a jerk? Or…?"

"I said it wrong, but…Everything I said…It's true, Peyton," John rubbed at his face tiredly. "You know it is. Dean doesn't see it yet, but he and I, we're the same. We're not meant for this. What you and your family have. We don't belong here."

"Says who?" she challenged, trying her hardest to control her trembling chin. She wasn't some damsel, crying when the man she loved tried to push her away. She was stronger than that. She had to be.

"Peyton…" he begged, and trailed off, unable to find the words to continue.

"No, tell me," she pushed, anger rising up with her grief. "You want me gone? Tell me. Tell me you have the right to make this decision for the both of us. Tell me you don't love me. Tell me this is over."

"Peyton, this never should have started," he countered quietly, unable to stop himself from wrapping his hands around her arms as she finally moved in closer, her fists gripping the front of his shirt. "I'm twenty-five years older than you. I'm…God, I'm a _mess_. If your parents found out about this, they'd _kill_ me. And I wouldn't blame them. You're barely legal, Peyton."

She shook her head. "Don't say that," she begged, gritting her teeth. "Don't say it like I'm too young for you, too young to understand or love you. Because I do, John. I love you. I _love_ you. Don't do this."

"You'll thank me for this someday," he promised her, ducking his head down to look her in the eyes. "With me, there's no future. We won't get married. We'll never have kids. All we'll ever have are stolen moments between hunts. You deserve more than that, Peyton."

"Don't _I_ get a say in what I deserve?" she asked, feeling the warm splashes of tears on her cheeks as he broke her heart.

"I'm sorry–"

"God, stop _saying_ that!" Peyton cried, yanking herself out of his grip. "John…We could make this work. I _know_ we can. Please…"

She wasn't letting go and John needed her to let go. He needed her to hate him, to want him gone. It was the only way he'd ever stay away from her for good, knowing that she didn't want him around.

"The only woman I ever really loved, the only woman I could've ever had that life with…Is gone," John said, telling her a lie that had been the truth until just a few months ago. "She's gone, and there's no one else that I can have that with. There's no one else I _want_ that with."

Peyton stared at him, Sensing his grief and anger…And his love. It was raw and painful and beautiful and heartbreaking and perfect. She wanted to bask in it. She wanted him to fight for it.

Rushing forward, Peyton threw John for a loop when she gripped him by his shirt and pulled him down for a bruising kiss. Heart almost stopping, John wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close. She smelled so good, like lavender and rain, and she felt so right in his arms. His heart kept breaking every time he thought that – _Mary_ had felt so right in his arms, too. He was drowning, lost in the abyss of grief for his wife and kept afloat, alive, by the love of the woman in his arms.

Peyton pulled away first, eyes still closed as he leaned his forehead against hers, his breath puffing out against her face, smelling of beer and cake.

"Lying to an empath isn't the smartest thing you've ever done, John Winchester," she murmured, eyes fluttering open to see the pain she felt reflected in his.

John unwound an arm around her to gently brush away a dark brown curl from her face. "Peyton…" he breathed, torn into two. He wanted so much to be with her, embrace the life she was so willingly offering to him, build a different sort of future for them…A future he hadn't even considered since Mary. But he was frozen in fear, seeing Mary burning on the ceiling, her face melting away into Peyton's. He couldn't do this again. He just couldn't.

Peyton swallowed down a sob. She could Sense the love John had for her, but she could also Sense his resolve.

"If you ever decide to stop being an idiot, John, you know where to find me," she told him, breaking free from his embrace and running out of the room.

John stared after her, fighting down the urge to chase her, tell her he was sorry, ask her to be his for as long as she wanted him. But he sank back down on the lounge chair instead, dropping his head into his hands.

* * *

**August 2006**

**San Francisco**

"Chris, watch out!" Lynnie yelled, ducking as a fireball flew by her head. Throwing herself behind a large, heavy chest, Lynnie gasped as she felt the searing heat of another fireball whizzing by. She could hear Chris shouting in pain, and she popped up from behind the chest long enough to blow up a demon.

They were outnumbered, five to one. She had no idea why they'd suddenly been attacked by what seemed like an entire garrison of demons, but there they were, coming in from all sides. Wyatt had incinerated a whole swarm of demons using energy waves, but cut off one head and two more appeared. The Manor was positively crawling with demons. Lynnie had never been more relieved that Wren was safe at Magic School, attending class. She needed to kill these damn demons before her baby girl gets back.

"What the hell is going on!?" Wyatt shouted as he snatched an athame off of a demon and threw it at another, orbing a fireball back in the direction it came from. "Why are they all coming at the same time?"

"Who the hell cares why!?" Chris shot back, throwing a few bottles of vanquishing potions this way and that, trying to get as many demons as he could.

The battle took longer that Lynnie cared for, drawing in her mother, her cousins and her aunts into the swing of it. Lynnie could feel something tugging at her heart halfway through the battle, but four more demons appeared surrounding her and she was forced to push that down, focusing instead on surviving.

"Was there an all-you-can-kill ad out in the demon Zagat?" Piper yelled as she threw her hands up and blew up what seemed like the thousandth demon in the past hour.

"Don't look at me!" Phoebe yelped as she spun around, delivering a powerful high-kick that propelled a demon straight into the athame PJ held out.

As suddenly as they appeared, the remaining demons stopped fighting and, looking at each other, shimmered away.

The Halliwells gaped in shock, eyeing the space around them warily.

"Are they really gone or did they go Invisigirl?" Paige wondered, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

Chris stepped forward, commanding, "_Reveal_."

Lynnie felt a pulse of power as Chris' magic spread throughout the room. It remained empty, proving the demons were really gone.

"Nothing," Wyatt commented, as stunned as the rest of his family. "Huh."

"What, was it a scheduled dinner time?" Parker asked, hands on her hips as she caught her breath.

"I'm just glad they're gone before Wren – _ahh_!" Lynnie clutched at her head as the adrenaline of the battle left her and she could finally hear what she was meant to hear.

"_Lynnie, please…Please…Anyone_," Sam's voice called out to hear. "_Dean's dying. Somebody please…_"

"Oh, God," Lynnie's eyes widened. "Dean!"

Parker, understanding immediately that Lynnie was Sensing Dean in danger, stepped forward slightly. "Go," she urged her cousin. "I'll pick Wren up from Magic School. Don't worry, hun."

Smiling tightly to show her gratitude, Lynnie dropped the mace she'd swiped off of a demon she'd vanquished, orbing out immediately, going to where Sam was.

The first thing she saw as she orbed to him was the ultra-white walls that could only belong in a hospital. Blinking away the bright white dots that always strayed in her vision for a few seconds after orbing, Lynnie looked around the room, heart dropping all the way down to her stomach as she caught sight of Dean. He was laid on a hospital bed, tubes and wires attached to him. He looked so pale, so lifeless…

Sam was by his side, head bowed as he prayed. He'd missed her entrance entirely.

"Sam?" Lynnie called out, feeling tears gather in her eyes.

Sam's head snapped up at the sound of her voice. Eyes widening in shock, he jumped out of his seat, crossing over to the door of the room and shutting the door so they wouldn't be interrupted.

"Lynnie! Oh, God, thank God!" he reached her in two strides of his long legs, sweeping her up in a hug. "Lynnie, please, I need help…Dean…He's dying…And Dad's missing. Bobby thinks Dad wants to summon The Demon. God, I…I think I'm gonna lose my whole family here tonight. Help me. Please. Help me."

He was squeezing her so tight she thought he might crack a rib or two.

"Sam! Sammy, I can't breathe," she patted his sides gently, the only part of him she could reach with her arms trapped between them.

"I'm sorry," he sniffed, pulling away. Her heart broke at the devastated expression on his face. Cupping his cheeks, she smiled gently at him.

"One disaster at a time," she murmured consolingly and he nodded, swiping the back of his hand under his nose.

Concentrating, Lynnie Sensed for John. She was half-convinced it wouldn't work but the hoodoo magic that had kept him shielded from Whitelighters and White Witches must have been a linked spell with the same magic that shielded the boys, because she found him instantly. He was alone and feeling fearful but determined. She didn't know what he was up to but she didn't think it would end well.

Using her gift, she orbed him to her side, opening her eyes just in time to see him materialize next to her and Sam. He looked stunned to see them, one hand holding onto a knife and his other dripping blood.

Sam glared at his father, obviously in the midst of summoning The Demon. "Where were you?" he demanded angrily.

"I…I was taking care of some things," John answered vaguely, blinking as he regained his composure.

"Well, that's specific," Sam scoffed.

"Sam," Lynnie warned, already seeing the fight that was about to explode out of him.

"Did you go after The Demon?" Sam asked his father, ignoring Lynnie, eyes locked on John. He already knew the answer but he wanted his dad to admit the truth, for once in his life.

"No," John lied.

Sam shook his head, aghast. Dean was dying and their dad was still focused on demon hunting. God, he _knew_ Dad hadn't deserved any of the blind faith Dean had always put in him. "You know, why don't I believe you right now?" he retorted, his fear of losing Dean and feeling so helpless about it making him lash out.

"Can we not fight?" John pleaded, suddenly feeling so small and exhausted. At the shocked look on his younger boy's face, John told him tiredly, "You know, half the time we're fighting…I don't know what we're fighting about. We're just butting heads. Sammy, I…I've made some mistakes. But I've always done the best I could. I just don't wanna fight anymore. Okay?"

Sam stared at his father, unable to remember a time when John had waved the white flag. Or wanted to stop fighting. Or admitted that he'd made mistakes before. An icy cold fist of fear gripped him by the heart, and Sam sucked in a deep breath, trying to shake it.

"Dad," he called out quietly, the fight leaving him as suddenly as it came. "Are you alright?"

John smiled a little. "Yeah…Yeah, I'm just a little tired," he reassured Sam.

Now that she knew the two of them weren't going to kill each other, Lynnie quickly assessed Sam's injuries. They were going to need some Healing, that's for damn sure, but they weren't as serious as Dean's. Lynnie barely spared John's bleeding hand a glance.

"I don't know what you were up to, John, and I think you can manage on your own for a little longer, Sam. If you'll both excuse me, I've got more pressing injuries to heal," she told them both briskly, feeling just a smidge of guilt as she dismissed John entirely, still not over the curveball he'd thrown her way, affecting her life so prominently for his own benefit. "You just gotta deal with it for now."

John watched, hope blooming tentatively in his chest as Lynnie strode over to his son, placing her hands on his chest as she worked to Heal him.

Sam had tried praying to the Halliwells to no avail, and John had known then that he'd had to take drastic actions. If praying to Good hadn't work, then he'd had to pray to Evil. He'd been willing to give up his life to trade it for Dean's, knowing that _something_ was stopping Lynnie from coming to his son's aid. Hell, back in the day, she didn't even need to be Called. Anytime Dean got hurt or in too hot water, she was there, ready to kill or Heal. He knew without a doubt that this was The Demon's work, wanting to kill Dean, maybe coming for him next so that Sam would be alone, defenseless…He couldn't let that happen. Dean would have a better chance of keeping Sam on the right track, keeping him safe. And John could never live in a world where either one of his sons were dead.

Before he'd had a chance to complete the summoning ritual, however, he'd been snatched away, back to Dean's hospital room, and he watched with baited breath as Lynnie worked that heavenly magic, clenching his bleeding fist and praying to a God he barely believed in that she'd save his son.

"Why is it taking so long?" Sam asked, tears trickling down his face as he watched anxiously, arms wrapped around himself.

Lynnie frowned, closing her eyes as she concentrated. "He's so close to death," she whispered, heart thudding wildly as she worked harder, willing her magic to work faster. "God, I can barely feel him…"

Sam sucked his lower lip between his teeth, stifling a sob. He couldn't lose his brother. Dean had been the one constant his whole life. Even when he'd run off to Stanford, Sam knew that if he'd called for anything, Dean would've been there in a heartbeat. Sam didn't know how to go on if Dean was really gone. _Please God, please_, he prayed, eyes never leaving Lynnie's glowing hands.

Dean, unbeknownst to his loved ones, was stuck on the astral plane with a reaper, struggling to explain to her why he couldn't leave. _Of course_ he couldn't. He had to take care of Sammy. He had a coming war to fight, to hear Dad talk about it. And Wren and Lynnie…God, he hadn't had enough time to make it right with them. He didn't care about other soldiers, brothers, fathers and lost loves she'd reaped. He didn't care about anyone but the people he loved, the people he couldn't leave behind. Not yet.

"Moment of truth," Tessa eyed Dean seriously, having tried her best to get him to move on. "No changing your mind later. So what's it going to be? Move on peacefully or end up the thing you used to hunt?"

Dean turned to look at her, devastation plain on his face. Tessa felt the same empathy for him that she'd felt for all the people she'd reaped, but there was no changing the way things were. Death was a part of life. He either understood it or he didn't. She couldn't do more than try.

Before Dean could answer her, however, he was pulled away, his surroundings melting away until he was back in his hospital room. Tessa appeared in front of him, looking as confused as he felt.

"What…What's happening?" Dean asked.

Tessa sighed as she glanced over at his hospital bed. "Honestly, Whitelighters," she muttered, rolling her eyes.

Hope springing to life inside of him, Dean spun around to see Lynnie bent beside his bed, glowing hands on his chest.

"Come on, Dean," she whispered, eyes fluttering open to gaze at his prone body. Dean stepped forward, eyeing Lynnie anxiously. "Come on. Come back to me."

"Heal me," he pleaded to her. When she didn't react to his voice, he knew that she couldn't see or hear him, just like Sam and Dad. "Heal me, dammit!"

"Please, Dean," Lynnie moved one glowing hand directly above his heart, and the other cupping his cheek. "Please."

Lowering her voice, Lynnie whispered only for his ears, "I love you. Dean, I love you. Don't leave me."

Dean stared at her, a smile starting to tug on his lips. "I knew it," he whispered, just as he felt a warm glow deep in his chest. It started to get a little too warm and he looked down at his body to see it glowing, the same warm bright light as Lynnie's hands. Knowing that he was getting Healed, he turned back to face Tessa, who was looking less than pleased. "Sorry, guess it's just not my time," he shrugged, just as the world around him disappeared.

Everything was black, and Dean panicked for a second before his body reacted, eyes blinking open slowly, painfully. The first thing he saw was Lynnie, her face tear-stained as she eyed him anxiously.

"Dean?" Lynnie whispered, seeing him come back to life. His visible injuries disappeared, skin returning to their unblemished state, and she could Sense that his internal injuries had Healed, too. He was safe and whole, not a single scratch left on him. She pressed her palms on either side of his face, steadying him as he came to, eyes widening in panic when he felt the tube down his throat. "Hey, hey! It's okay. Dean, you're okay. Calm down, alright? I'm taking the tube out…don't panic or someone's gonna come in and check on you."

He tried to listen to her, forcing his heart rate to slow a little (another useful skill taught by one John Winchester) but the adrenaline was pumping through his body. The last thing he remembered was being in the Impala, spinning out of control. He couldn't breathe, something stuck in his throat…And was he in a hospital bed!?

Lynnie grabbed some gloves from the box on the table next to Dean's bed, carefully removing the tube from his throat. Dean coughed, throat dry and sore.

"What happened?" he asked, voice hoarse, looking to Sam and his Dad for answers.

"You don't remember?" Sam wondered, too strung up on worry and fear to be too relieved that Dean was alive and well.

"Guys, we can talk about what happened later," Lynnie interrupted, snapping the gloves off and tossing them in the trash can nearby. "We gotta go before somebody comes in here and finds Dean without a single scratch on him. We'll never be able to explain that."

"Where should we go?" John asked, sniffling a little as he stared at his son and the woman who performed a miracle on him.

"I would have said the Manor, but we were just ambushed by about a hundred demons there," Lynnie admitted, helping Dean to slowly rise from the bed. "We should go to the apartment. Lay low for a while."

"No, we need to get back on The Demon's trail before we lose it again," John shook his head, snapping back into focus.

Lynnie levelled him with a glare. "John, your sons were both injured. You're not looking too hot yourself," she pointed out. "I haven't even Healed Sam yet. We're getting out of here. We're going to my apartment. We're laying low, even if it's just for an hour. If you've got a problem with that, tough."

John blinked at her, stunned. She had always been a tough, head-strong little thing, but she had never spoken like that to him before. She had balls, he'd give her that. He was even sort of impressed – it takes a strong woman to handle a Winchester. Mary had been like that. Any other lifetime, he'd be telling Dean to never let her go.

"Now, let's go. Everybody huddle up," Lynnie said sternly, looking pointedly at Sam and John until they shuffled closer, each putting a hand on her arm as she held onto Dean. Once she was sure everyone was holding on, Lynnie orbed them swiftly away from the hospital room, rematerializing in her living room.

Unbeknownst to Lynnie and the three Winchester men, Azazel, known to them only as The Yellow-Eyed Demon, materialized in the empty hospital room just seconds after Lynnie orbed them away. Pursing his lips, Azazel dragged his eyes from the empty bed to Tessa, standing frozen at the sight of him.

"Guess I'm just gonna have to get creative," he told her, smirking as he teleported away.

Tessa shivered, rattled by his appearance. His presence had cast a disturbing pall over the room. Steeling herself, Tessa blinked a few times, taking in a deep breath and exhaling loudly. Demons and humans and whatever else…None of it mattered. Only the Grand Plan. Focusing herself, Tessa teleported away from the empty hospital room in Jefferson City, Missouri to attend to her next charge.

Only a few moments later, the door to the room opened, a nurse coming through. Seeing the empty room, her brows furrowed together. "What!?" she whispered, thinking of the comatose patient who had no way of walking out on his own.

* * *

"Where's Wren?" Dean asked as they orbed into Lynnie and Parker's living room.

"I don't know," Lynnie released her grip on Dean, heading towards Sam to Heal him. "Parker was gonna pick her up…"

Dean frowned, looking around the dark apartment. "It's way too goddamn quiet in here," he muttered, switching on the lights and heading towards the bedrooms to search for his little girl. There was something about the total stillness of the place that rubbed him the wrong way. It felt the same way it did going into a hunt – his palms were sweaty, his heart was racing, his senses were heightened, and he was completely on edge. Something was wrong.

"Mommy," Lynnie heard, and she spun around, done with Healing both Sam and John. She recognized her little girl's voice, and smiled, looking in the direction where it came from.

"Sweetie, where were you?" she asked. "Daddy was looking for…" Lynnie trailed off, eyes widening in horror as she took in the sight before her.

Wren stood in front of the kitchen's entrance, an unnatural smile curled on her lips. Parker was splayed out on the floor next to her. Wren had a fistful of Parker's shirt collar in her grasp, holding up her aunt's upper body off the ground. Parker's head lolled to the side, tilting backwards slightly in her unconscious state. Lynnie could see the trickle of blood down the side of her face, a nasty looking gash at her hairline.

"Oh, my God," Lynnie whispered, dread turning her blood into ice.

"Not quite," Wren replied nonchalantly, gripping Parker's shirt tighter.

"Parker!" Sam yelled out, moving to rush towards the unconscious woman.

John held him back. "No, Sammy, wait!" he flung an arm out in front of his son, gaze focused on the little girl's yellow eyes. "Careful. That's not Wren anymore."

Lynnie, frozen in fear, squeezed her eyes shut for a brief second, screaming out for Dean.

"Dean! Oh, God, Dean! Get in here!"

He came running out from Wren's empty bedroom, skidding to a halt in the living room as he took in the ghastly sight. Catching the yellow irises, Dean sneered in disgust. "You son of a bitch," he growled, taking one step forward.

"That hurt my feelings," Yellow-Eyes said, Wren's voice seemingly echoing thanks to his influence. Wren's arm shot out to roughly toss Parker aside, the older woman flopping lifelessly into a wall.

"How the hell did you get in here?" Lynnie asked through gritted teeth, fear and anger making her head spin dizzyingly. Dean took slow deliberate steps until he was standing right in front of Lynnie, shielding her partially despite the fact that she had more power than him to stop the Demon. "The crystals…"

Yellow-Eyes scoffed. "Please. As if something like that could stop me," it rolled Wren's eyes, smirking a little at John. "You know what I'm talking about, don't you Johnny-boy? Holy water didn't even pinch. I'm something far more dangerous than your average demon."

"_Regna terrae, cantante Deo, psallite Domino_–"

Wren's arm flung out, and Sam was thrown backwards into a wall, his arms and legs stuck to the surface, his throat closing up as the Demon asserted its power. "Really, Sammy?" It taunted, a disappointed expression painted on Wren's face. "An exorcism? How disappointing."

"You get the _hell_ out of my kid," Dean snarled. "Right. Now."

"Oh, well, if you say so, then I guess I'll have to do it," Yellow-Eyes mocked. "On second thought, I think I'll just wear Wren a little while longer. Have a little fun. Torture the cat. Kill the rest of the family. I'll save Mommy and Daddy for last, of course…"

Lynnie gripped at Dean's arm, feeling her legs shake at the thought of her little girl. She wondered if Wren knew what was happening to her body, if she was aware of it at all.

As though It could hear her thoughts, Yellow-Eyes turned its attention to Lynnie, smiling wide. "She's wide awake in here, y'know?" It told her. "She was screaming the whole time I was hurting Auntie Parker. Traumatized little thing…Very sweet. Very delicious. Yeah, I think I'll keep her around."

Dean, anger taking over, rushed forward. He didn't really think his plan through – there was nothing he could do once he reached Wren's possessed body, after all, that wouldn't hurt his little girl – but he wanted The Demon gone. He needed It gone. It didn't matter, however. Yellow-Eyes didn't let him get close, clenching Wren's raised hand into a fist, gaze locked on Dean. Dean halted, feeling his chest start to constrict. He could feel his heart beating a little too fast, a little too painfully, his blood boiling in his veins. Gasping for air, Dean dropped to his knees, one hand clutching at his heart and the other planted on the floor, holding himself up with a shaky arm.

Lynnie's eyes widened. _Please, God, no_, she prayed. Wren was going to be exorcised of this evil, and when she was well again, she'd be horrified that she'd had anything to do with her dad getting hurt. Moving a few steps away from Dean, she called out to the demon, hoping to distract It enough that It would release Its hold on Dean.

"Hey!" she called out, watching with a shiver crawling down her spine as Wren's head snapped in her direction, bright pale-yellow eyes staring at her soullessly. "I don't need an exorcism to get you out," Lynnie raised her hands, ready to freeze Wren, knowing that she would only be freezing the demon, freeing Wren's body from it.

The demon must have known that, too, because without letting go of Dean, It flung out Wren's free arm, and Lynnie suddenly found herself spinning in the air, crashing into the wall behind her. She groaned in pain, feeling as though she'd been hit by a cement arm, her head throbbing where it had cracked against the wall. She shook her hair out of her face, looking over to where Yellow-Eyes stood in the guise of her daughter, a cruel smile on her face.

"Ah, ah," Yellow-Eyes sang out. "Don't try and Charm me, witch."

Lynnie screamed, pain blinding her vision and dulling her senses for a white-hot moment. She could hear Dean calling out for her, her name garbled on his blood-stained lips. She couldn't lift her head to look at him, her eyes trained on her own hands, seeing them twisted brokenly, the bones crushed by Yellow-Eyes' power.

Dean watched Lynnie's crumpled body heave in pain, helpless to do anything for her. Eyes sliding back to The Demon, Dean coughed, feeling the warm splutter of blood escape his lips.

"Wren," he called out weakly. "Wren, baby, fight It. I know it's scary, bud. But you're strong enough. You're my tough warrior, remember? You can do this."

Wren's arm shook before it fell limply to her side. Dean could barely hold himself up, the pain too strong, but he did it anyway, watching hopefully as the evil smirk on Wren's face fell away, the yellow eyes fading back to Wren's natural green.

"Daddy?" Wren whispered, eyes widening as she caught sight of him on the floor.

"Wren? Wren, are you okay?" Dean asked, struggling to sit up, unable to believe she was really alright.

Wren rushed forward, crouching next to him. "Daddy! You're hurt!" she cradled his face in her tiny hands, and Dean smiled, relieved.

"No, no, I'm okay, baby girl," he reassured her. "Don't worry about that. Are you okay?"

Wren smiled, tears in her eyes, chin wobbly. "I'm okay, daddy," she told him, and he let out a breath of relief, his shoulders sagging. His happiness didn't last more than a few seconds as green dissolved back to a bright yellow, Wren's lips twisting into a sneer, "Just kidding."

Dean gasped as Wren's hands on either side of his head tightened uncomfortably, growing more and more painful as Yellow-Eyes applied enough pressure to slowly crush his skull.

"Dean!" Sam shouted, struggling from his prison against the wall, but the Demon was too powerful. Sam couldn't even move his pinky finger. Sam's heart seized in his throat. This was _not_ going to be the day he lost his brother. He wasn't going to lose a third person he loved to the Demon. This wasn't happening.

"Hey! You didn't forget about me, did you?" John yelled out, and Yellow-Eyes turned to look at the eldest Winchester.

John reached into his coat pocket and, before even Dean knew what was happening, he'd cocked and aimed the Colt at Wren.

"No!" Lynnie shouted, struggling to climb to her feet, gingerly holding her broken hands close to her body.

"Dad, no, what the hell are you doing?" Dean protested, stunned. Gasping for breath as Wren's hands lifted from his face, Dean kept his eyes on John, fighting the urge to just give into the pain and collapse. "I know this is what we've been searching for, Dad, but not like this. You hear me? It can't end like this."

John didn't spare him a glance, gaze locked on The Demon. _The_ Demon.

He'd spent the past twenty-two years fixated on this creature. Sam's whole life…He'd wasted away twenty-two years with his children, just focusing on finding and killing the thing that had taken away the love of his life. He'd missed out on a lot, there was no doubt about it. He never let himself think about that because…well, what would the point be? Life as a hunter was dreary enough. He couldn't add thinking about his failures as a father on top of that. There was no way to change it, alter the past, and it was far too late to make it right for the present.

The only thing he could do was give his boys a chance at a good future. He could sacrifice what he had to give them a chance at a better life someday, with the people they deserved and loved well and alive.

"You gonna shoot me, John?" Yellow-Eyed asked, smirking cruelly. "You'd be killing your own grandkid. Well, you were never keen on her being born in the first place, were you?"

"Dad," Sam called out in disbelief, praying that his father would put the gun down. There was no time for a Mexican standoff when they should really be exorcising The Demon out of Wren's body. God, he'd met grown-ups who'd been torn apart by a possession. He couldn't bear to think what his little niece was going through.

"I'm not gonna shoot you," John told It, surprising everyone in the room as he lowered the Colt, removing his finger from the trigger. "I wanna make a deal."

Dean stared, shocked beyond belief, as his dad laid down his bargaining chips.

"You want this gun?" John waved the Colt slightly. "It's yours – if you release Wren. You let my family go, and I'll hand it to you."

The Demon stared at John with narrowed eyes. "It's very unseemly, making deals with devils," Yellow-Eyes said suspiciously. "How do I know this isn't another trick?"

"It's no trick," John swore. "I will give you the Colt and the bullet, on one condition. You leave Wren's body and you leave my family alone. You take this gun and you disappear."

Yellow-Eyes smiled as It understood why John was offering up the one thing that could destroy the thing that killed his wife. "Why, John, you're a sentimentalist," It mocked. Turning to look at Sam and Dean, It told them, "Well now you know how much daddy loves you."

"It's a good trade," John interrupted him, bile rising in his throat. Losing the Colt was going to sting but he knew they could make it work anyway. "You care a hell of a lot more about this gun that you do Wren."

"Don't be so sure," Yellow-Eyes warned, Wren's voice taking on an unnaturally ominous tone. "She's got power. Lots of it. Most of it undiscovered, most of it untrained…But it's there. She's gonna be a pain in the ass one day. Best to just nip that in the bud right now."

John stared at The Demon, mouth set in a grim line. "We both know you're not going to do anything today except take this gun and leave," he said, sounding more confident than he felt. "So, deal or no deal?"

The Demon stared at John with intelligent, calculative eyes. John felt a shiver crawl down his spine and forced himself to stand still, fighting the urge to shudder. The sight of his granddaughter – his _granddaughter_, for God's sake – with yellow eyes…It was unnatural in the worst way possible, but he couldn't let It see how it affected him. Demons preyed on weaknesses, and despite having never been properly introduced to her, Wren was one of his. She was a Winchester, after all, no matter what her last name was.

Blinking slowly, The Demon nodded, agreeing to the terms wordlessly.

"Good," John sniffed, gripping the Colt tight for a moment. The one weapon he knew could end The Demon, and he was going to have to give it up. He knew Yellow-Eyes would destroy it because what else would he do with it? It was a devastating loss, but not one greater than losing Wren. He couldn't do that to his son, even if it cost him his revenge – for now.

The Demon stepped forward with Wren's legs, holding out a hand for the gun. John held it back, making It narrow Wren's eyes, glaring dangerously.

"Not backing out, are ya, John?" Yellow-Eyes asked warningly.

"No, but before I give you the gun, I'm gonna wanna see Wren's okay. You're leaving her body. Now. Or the deal's off."

The Demon rolled It's eyes. "Oh, John," It tsked. "I'm offended. Don't you trust me?"

John shook his head slowly, keeping his gaze locked on The Demon.

"Fine," Yellow-Eyes sighed, conceding. "I guess I'm just gonna have to give her up. For now."

Dean struggled stronger against the white-hot pain in his chest and the crushing imaginary fist around his throat and heart. Over his dead body was The Demon getting to his kid ever again. Without even looking in Dean's direction, Yellow-Eyes smirked a little as It strengthened Its hold on Dean, crushing him just a little more.

"Leave her," John repeated through gritted teeth. "Take the Colt. And go."

"No, John, not yet," Yellow-Eyes said, struck by inspiration. It decided to take care of two problems at once – John Winchester was a pain in Its ass, and It needed Sam to stand on his own feet, without daddy around to stifle his growing power. Big brother Dean might try to interfere, but he was a clueless jock. He'd never be a real threat, not the way John was proving himself to be. John needed to go, and what an ironic way to go indeed. "You still need to sweeten the pot."

John frowned. "With what?" he asked, dread growing in his stomach.

"There's something else I want as much as that gun," The Demon told him, smirk growing wider as everything settled into place. It was a sucker for irony. "Maybe more."

It paused, mostly for dramatic effect. "Your life," The Demon revealed, chuckling when both Sam and Dean struggled against Its hold, calling out for their dear ole daddy.

"You're not in any position to be making demands," Lynnie spat out, slowly stumbling forward on shaking legs.

"Yes, tell me again what you plan on doing," The Demon mocked her. "Should I break more than your hands?"

"How about I call for backup instead?" Lynnie countered. "There's no shortage of Halliwells dying to take you on. One word and they come crashing this party."

"True," Yellow-Eyed agreed. "And the moment I see bright white and blue lights swirling around, I break your daughter's neck. I'll disappear with her body, wear her around for a while. You won't find her until I decide I'm done. What do you say, kid? You wanna get out of my way or do you want her mutilated body on your front step somewhere down the line?"

Lynnie clenched her jaw, vision blurring as she fought back angry tears. John slowly crept forward until he was standing in front of her, shielding her from The Demon. On a good day, she'd shove him aside and take care of the vanquishing herself. But this was her baby. She was too stunned to protest, to move, to even think rationally. God, what a disappointment she must be to Wren.

"Fine,' John said, distracting Yellow-Eyes from the mother of his grandchild. The Demon's gaze slid to him, and John jutted his chin out, resolved to save his son's family. His family. "I'll take the deal."

"Dad!" Sam called out, panicked. "Dad, no!"

Sam struggled harder against the invisible cement block holding his entire body captive against the wall. He could feel tears trickling down the side of his face as his helplessness grew. He wasn't so naïve to think that The Demon was just going to take the Colt, kill Dad and run off into the night. Without Dad or the Colt, with Wren held hostage so they couldn't Call for help, Sam knew in his heart that this was when he was going to lose everyone he loved and cared for.

At the thought, a sudden black hole of darkness enveloped his mind. His vision blacked out for a second, and Sam blinked harshly, trying to regain his sight. A gasp fell from his lips as he felt his fingers move, and he wriggled them experimentally. Putting more strength behind it, Sam panted as he focused his energy on moving, eyes widening as he lifted his hand away from the wall. It was a struggle to keep his hand steady, but steady it was.

As though It could sense Sam's progress, Wren's head snapped in his direction, bright yellow eyes zeroing in on Sam's hand.

"My, my," The Demon murmured, stepping away from John and Lynnie to slowly make Its way towards Sam. "What a skill."

Sam's brows furrowed together as he stared in confusion at The Demon. "What…?" he managed to get out, right before he was interrupted.

"I said 'deal'," John called out, desperate to cut The Demon off before any more was revealed. "We gonna get on with it or are we gonna gab like a couple of girls?"

Knowing what John intended, The Demon grinned, turning away from the boy. After all, there was time for Sam – later.

"You know, my children seal deals with a kiss," The Demon told John, flaring Wren's eyes playfully. "I think we'll skip that part. It's a disturbing thought even for me."

John didn't react to It's vulgar suggestion, staring It down with a hard glare.

"Well, John," The Demon sighed. "It's the end of the line."

John held up his hand. "Give me a minute with my boys," he requested. At The Demon's raised eyebrow, John tilted his head, gritted his teeth and tacked on an explanation a creature like It wouldn't understand. "I want to say goodbye."

The Demon rolled Its eyes. "Such a sentimentalist," It muttered, disgusted. "Make it quick or I'll change my mind."

John gestured towards Sam and Dean, still frozen in place with Yellow-Eyes' power holding them captive and pained. "D'you mind?" he asked.

"I do, actually," Yellow-Eyes snapped, but It released the brothers, anyway, thrilled that Its plan was moving along now. John Winchester might be a smart hunter, but he wasn't smart enough to outsmart It.

John rushed forward to help Dean to his feet, clasping his eldest son by the shoulders as they gazed at each other with tear-filled eyes. Sam, dropped back on shaky legs, stumbled forward until he reached them, careful not to jostle Lynnie and cause her any more pain as he stood next to her.

"Boys, this is it for me," John said, accepting his fate.

"No, John, I'll Call for backup," Lynnie insisted, heart pounding wildly. "I'll Call for Wyatt…He can be discreet."

John shook his head, giving her a small smile. "I appreciate that, Lynnie, I do," he told her, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment. "Especially after what I did to you and your little girl."

Lynnie sucked in a deep breath. "John, now's not the time for that," she chided. "It doesn't matter. You're an innocent. I'm not letting some demon kill you. That's not how this works."

"It is if you want to save Wren," John countered, Lynnie's jaw clicking shut. "Look, I'm not so thrilled to die, either, but hunters…We don't live to a ripe old age. It's a miracle I've made it this far. I want my death to mean something, and sacrificing my life for my granddaughter…Well, that means something."

"Dad, please," Sam pleaded, unashamedly crying now. "I can't do this without you. We can't."

"Sure, you can," John disagreed easily, cupping Sam's head in one hand, keeping the other on Dean's shoulder. "As long as you have each other, you can survive anything. You can beat anything. I know you boys will do me proud. You'll kill that thing. I know it."

Pausing, John locked his eyes on Sam's, wanting him to see that he meant his next words, "Promise me something, Sam. Once you kill Yellow-Eyes, you go back to living a normal life."

Sam sniffled, gaping a little at his father. That was the last thing he ever expected him to say. "W-what?" he stammered, blinking the tears out of his eyes.

"Go back to college," John urged. "Go to law school. Fall in love again. Have two-point-five Winchesters…There's always going to be evil walking the earth, but our family's given enough. There are other hunters out there, Sammy. I was wrong to be so harsh on you when you wanted to leave. You deserve a good life. Yellow-Eyes won't stop until you're both dead, so kill It before It kills you, but go and have a life once It's dead. You hear me?"

"This really you talking?" Sam asked, almost laughing because it was funny that he was hearing everything he'd dreamt his dad would say to him, but it also wasn't because he knew it was a goodbye.

"Yeah. Yeah, it's really me," John smiled, tilting Sam's head down to press a kiss to his boy's head. "I love you, Sammy," he swore. "I'm sorry I wasn't a better father. But I love you."

"I love you, too, Dad," Sam rushed forward to wrap his father in a tight hug. He didn't want to let go but he couldn't snatch Dean's goodbye with Dad away from him. When he felt John pat his back a few times, Sam reluctantly let go, swiping at his eyes.

John turned to his eldest. "Dean," he started.

"Stop," Dean held up a trembling hand. "Stop, Dad. No. We're not doing this goodbye thing. We're gonna figure out a way to get the hell out of here – with Wren safe and sound."

He sounded so confident, so fearless, when John knew he was anything but. He smiled fondly. _That's my boy_, he thought, pride making him warm all over.

"You know," John started, ignoring Dean's words. "When you were a kid, I'd come home from a hunt and, after what I'd seen, I'd be…I'd be wrecked. And you, you'd come up to me and you…You'd put your hand on my shoulder and you'd look me in the eye and you'd…" John paused, a little choked up as the memories came flooding his mind. "You'd say, 'It's okay, Dad'…"

John felt his chin wobble, the warm trickle of tears sliding down the side of his face. "Dean, I'm sorry," he said, his voice breaking a little.

"What?" Dean stared uncomprehendingly at his father. He could count on one hand the number of times John Winchester had shown emotions like that, let alone cry. He could feel the numbness spread in his body, rendering him frozen, rendering him unable to process his father's words or his grief. His child was possessed, her mother helpless, and his dad was going to die.

_What do I do? WhatdoIdowhatdoIdowhatdoIdo?_ Dean chanted desperately in his head, searching frantically for an answer that didn't exist.

"You shouldn't have had to say that to me," John wrapped a hand around Dean's neck, squeezing slightly to comfort him. "I should have been saying that to you. You know, I put…I put too much on your shoulders. I made you grow up too fast. You took care of Sammy, you took care of me…You did that, and you didn't complain, not once. I just want you to know…That I am so proud of you."

Dean hated the traitorous tears that spilled from his eyes. He hated that they were saying goodbye. "Dad…I don't know what to do," he begged. "Tell me. Please. Tell me what to do."

"You be a good dad," John told him simply, hating that he never got the chance to pass on fatherly advice about parenthood to his kid. _And whose fault is that?_ Mary's gentle voice echoed in his head, and it was a punch to the gut when he caught sight of her out of the corner of his eye, a subtly reproachful smile on her beautiful face.

"You look out for Sammy. You be there for your kid…You don't miss an opportunity to make things right," John urged Dean, eyes flicking in Lynnie's direction. Dean shot him an incredulous look, as if to say 'Really, Dad? Yellow-Eyes is about to incinerate you and you're giving me advice on my love life!?' John grinned, a little sadly, Peyton's adorable smile flashing to mind, "Look, I, uh…I had a chance once…Not that long ago. A girl…She was…I could've loved her. _Really_ loved her."

Dean looked away, not quite able to hear that. To him, Dad could never love anyone other than Mom. He wasn't blind or stupid – he knew Dad had been around when he was growing up. Of course he had. Life was lonely on the road and hunting kinda filled you up with a lot of pent up frustration you had to let out somehow. Booze and sex worked great. But sex didn't have to mean love. You could have sex with a hundred people and still be madly in love with just the one. Dean knew from first-hand experience.

"I screwed that up," John admitted. "I couldn't let go of the past, couldn't let go of my anger…And now I'm never gonna make it right with her."

Sucking in a deep breath, shaking off that loss because what else could he do, John looked his son dead in the eye, "Don't be like me, Dean. You've always been better than that. Don't miss out. Fight for what you want. Fight for the life you deserve. Be better. Okay?"

Dean clenched his fists together, unable to speak, unable to even look at his dad. _This isn't goodbye_, he told himself, firmly in Denial City. _This isn't goodbye_.

John applied gentle pressure to Dean's skull, tilting his head up so he'd look at him in the eye. "Okay?" he repeated.

As much as he didn't want to answer (because if did, Dad might be done with saying goodbye, then it was time for The Demon to take him away), Dean had never been able to not follow Dad's orders. Despite himself, he heard himself agree tearfully, "Okay."

"Good," John smiled, patting him on the cheek twice. Leaning in, he brought his lips to Dean's ear, whispering too low for anyone else to hear. "I want you to watch out for Sammy, okay?"

Dean's brows furrowed together. "Yeah, Dad, you know I will," he said, turning his head slightly to look at John confusedly. "You're scaring me," he admitted, seeing the unreadable expression on his father's face.

"Don't be scared, Dean," John reassured him, heart breaking as he leaned in even closer, spoke even softer so that even Dean almost couldn't hear him. He passed the burden onto his son, wishing to God he didn't have to. But Yellow-Eyes was right – this was the end of the line for him, and _someone_ needed to carry on. He knew Dean wouldn't let him down.

Hearing his Dad's words, Dean jerked away, staring at him in shock. He gaped at John, speechless, frozen.

John gave him a sad reassuring smile, completely missing the mark as far as Dean was concerned. "It'll be okay, son," John patted him on the shoulder, though Dean didn't know how anything could ever be okay again after hearing those words.

John sucked in a deep breath, exhaling loudly. Turning back to face The Demon, he spread his arms wide. "Well, okay," he said, ready for the end. "Let's get this show on the road."

The Demon smirked with Wren's lips, "Let's go, then, grandpa."

That stopped John short. Jutting his chin, John made one last request, "Not like that."

The Demon frowned. "John…We had a deal," It warned, anger simmering to a boil. "I really hate it when people break their deals."

"I'm not," John assured It. "But you're not killing me while wearing my granddaughter like a meat suit. That's just not happening."

The Demon rolled Its eyes. "Humans," It scoffed. "Fine, then. I guess we're doing this au naturel."

Wren's head tilted back, her mouth dropping open unnaturally as black smoke poured out. John gripped the Colt tighter, though he knew it was useless when The Demon wasn't in a vessel that could absorb the bullet.

Before their eyes, the black smoke hovered over Wren's frozen body, and once it was all out of her, Wren crumpled to the ground, eyes rolling to the back of her head.

"Wren!" Lynnie called out and, before anyone could stop her, she ran forward, dropping down to her knees next to her baby girl. Wincing, gasping in pain, Lynnie smoothed Wren's hair back from her face with her wrist, holding her broken hand out of the way as well as she could. Dean knelt down on Wren's other side, worried eyes flickering between their daughter and John.

"Is she okay?" John called out to Dean and Lynnie, keeping his eyes locked on the black smoke slowly floating away from Wren and towards him.

"She's unconscious," Dean replied, two fingers at Wren's pulse point. "Dad…"

"It's gonna be okay, Dean," John told him, flinging an arm out to stop Sam from stepping in front of him.

"Dad, we can beat this thing," Sam said, desperate, drawing himself up for a fight. "We'll run. Lynnie can orb them out. Wren's safe now. You don't have to do this."

"Yes, I do," John shot him a look over his shoulder. "Be brave, Sammy."

The black smoke swirled, morphing into the shape of a large, horrific, monstrous skull. John could feel his blood turn into ice, the fear taking over for just a moment. He stared right into the face of evil, the face of the creature that had killed his wife and damned his family. The skull stared back at him with soulless eyes before it shot at him, engulfing him in its darkness.

John gasped, feeling cold all over as the smoke went right through him. He looked up, seeing the horrified looks on Dean and Lynnie's faces as they stared right back at him, helpless. The little girl between them shifted, her eyes fluttering open. John watched her struggle to sit up, attracting the attention of her parents.

"Wren, honey, don't look!" Lynnie cried out. It hurt too much to move so Dean grabbed Wren, pushing her face into his chest to shield her from seeing John dying. Wren peeked out from between Dean's arms caging her in safely, eyes widening in horror as she watched John's skin grow pale, almost grey, and his eyes started to drift, the spark in them fading.

The last thing John saw was the green of Wren's eyes, smiling to himself at the thought that it was the same exact shade of green as Dean's.

Wren pushed Dean's arms away, stunned as John's body crumpled, a lifeless shell as he fell back into Sam's arms.

"Dad!" Sam dropped to his knees as he caught his father's body, unable to stand the weight of it. "Dad, no! Please, please…" Sam cried, bowing his head over his dad's chest. His body was already cold somehow, stiff and pale…He was gone. Just like that, Sam was an orphan. It hurt more than he could've imagined. He held onto his father's body, his arms trembling as he cradled John to his chest. "Dad…"

Wren didn't know why Sam was only just reacting to the dead body. She knew, from The Demon that had kept her awake while It made her do all those bad things, that the body was John, her Daddy's dad. He was her grandpa. And he was dead. Uncle Sam was crying, and Daddy was crying, and Mommy was telling her not to look, but Wren couldn't look away.

It wasn't just Grandpa John.

It was the black smoke swirling around his body.

No one was reacting to it, and Wren didn't know why, because after everything she'd been through that night, this was still the scariest thing she'd witnessed. It was black, pure black, but she could see the shape of a skull inside of it…And Grandpa…He was rising up. A glowing see-through version of him was rising from the body Uncle Sam was hugging…

Wren snuck a look at her Mommy, but even she didn't seem like she could see it, tearfully Calling out for Uncle Wyatt instead.

Wren looked back at Grandpa John and the Black Smoke, eyes widening as the smoke enveloped Grandpa John's spirit completely. Grandpa John's spirit looked like he was getting choked and strangled, arms held wide open. His neck looked strained, and his eyes bloodshot. The Black Smoke took him over completely, wrapping around his neck, his body, his arms…Strangling him, taking him over completely until Wren couldn't see him at all anymore. It turned until the skull inside the smoke was staring right at her, its skeletal mouth almost smiling in glee. If she tried hard enough, Wren could almost hear a laugh.

Cringing back against her dad's chest, Wren opened her mouth and started to scream.

* * *

**August 2006**

**Brimstone Cliff, Hell**

The first thing he registered as he opened his eyes was the heat.

It was hot, hotter than anything he'd ever experienced. There was once a heatwave in Arizona he'd had to deal with as he worked a rugaru case a couple of years ago…He'd thought that had been bad. Man, he'd been clueless.

He blinked a few times, clearing away the fog in his vision. The heat seemed to be a physical thing, clouding his sight, but his surroundings slowly became clearer as the seconds ticked by. John took half a step back as he realized he was standing on the edge of a cliff. Peering carefully over the edge, all John saw was a deep, dark red. Heat seemed to climb out of the chasm below. He could hear screams echoing, and it was loud…He couldn't tell if it was coming from below him or around him. He couldn't really see beyond the red hills and cliffs surrounding him. There wasn't another living being in sight as far as he could tell.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

John jumped, the voice startling him almost out of his skin. Spinning around, he felt his jaw drop as he stared at his twin. It looked exactly like him, down to the clothes he was wearing. The only thing that's different were the eyes – yellow, cold…Soulless.

"It's not the word I'd use," John muttered, turning away from It. "So…This is Hell?"

"Not what you were expecting?" Yellow-Eyes asked. John shrugged, trying for nonchalance when fear was consuming him from the inside out. "If it makes a difference, this is just one section of one dimension of Hell. It's a very complex place. You humans never seem to get it right. You've kind of always just kind of made it a vague thing, but it's not, you know? A lot of thought went into creating this place. I've always admired the handiwork."

John shot him a look. "Are we gonna have tea and discuss Russian literature next?" John mocked.

Yellow-Eyes grinned, twirling the Colt between Its fingers. "I like the Russians," It sighed, the sound making John shiver in disgust. "They know their pain. I think I'll take some inspiration from them when I go after Dean."

John's head snapped up, his eyes narrowing on The Demon wearing his face. "You said…"

"I never said I'd leave them alone forever," The Demon interrupted him. "You made that assumption all on your lonesome."

"You son of a bitch," John gripped It by the lapels of Its jacket.

The Demon chuckled, easily prying John's hands off of It. "Easy, John," It warned. "You're in my house now."

"Dean's not a threat to you," John tried to reason, panting harshly at the adrenaline pumping through him.

"Don't be so sure," The Demon snarled. "He killed some people very special to me…But still, you're right. He isn't much of a threat. And neither is your other son."

John bowed his head, avoiding Its gaze. At Its amused chuckle, John raised his eyes, looking into Its knowing face.

"You know the truth, right?" The Demon taunted. "About Sammy? And the other children?"

"Yeah," John admitted gravelly, admitting defeat. It was up to Dean now to protect his little brother – there was nothing John could do from where he was now. "I've known for a while."

"But Sam doesn't, does he?" The Demon cocked an eyebrow. "You've been playing dumb."

Grinning, The Demon peered closely at John with glinting yellow eyes. "It's gonna be a wild ride," he promised, striking a hand out suddenly and pushing John off of the cliff.

John choked on a gasp, screaming as he fell down the dark red chasm, the heat building the farther he fell until it felt like his entire being was on fire. The screams grew louder, so loud he couldn't tell them apart from his own, and his skin felt like it was being peeled slowly from his body. It was a never-ending pit, it seemed, and he couldn't stop falling, or burning, or hurting. He didn't know how long he was falling or burning or screaming, but he could hear the cold, chilling laughter of The Demon, echoing all around him despite the screams.

* * *

**Just as a side note in case you've forgotten I've mentioned this (you know, 'cuz it takes me a year to update…so sorry about that), I imagine Hilarie Burton as Peyton. I thought it'd be cool/funny to have her as another kick-ass, strong-willed Peyton since she did so well the first time around. Also wanted to pair her up with JDM in the Supernatural world, seeing as how the show is how they met in the first place. Just take note that Peyton's 20 years old here and there's a whopping 25-year age gap between her and John (IRL there's about a 16-year age gap between Hilarie and Jeffrey – totally unrelated but I REALLY adore their love-at-first-sight story, and that Jensen and Danneel KNEW they'd be right for each other before they even met. Name a sweeter love story, I dare you). If that squicks you out…Hmm, well, can't help you.**

**Also, a slightly different twist to the ending of 2x01. Sorry but there's just no way of saving John. The boys needed to go their own way without him. But I thought he redeemed himself somewhat by sacrificing himself to save Wren. Some of the dialogue is taken straight from the script of 2x01.**

**I HAD to name this chapter after our fandom's theme song. It just fit after the series finale, and re-reading what I've written between John and his boys at the end of this chapter.**

**And yay! We're now on Season 2!**

**Please leave a review to tell me what you thought of this chapter. I'm gonna continue on to write Sam and Dean's intertwined adventures with the Halliwells to Season 15 and beyond, and a lot of changes are gonna happen thanks to this. I hope you'll all still read on that far ahead.**


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